Small Right Actions: Why “Running the Play” Changes Everything
We often believe change requires a breakthrough moment — a surge of motivation, a perfectly clear plan, or a dramatic decision that alters everything overnight. But most real transformation doesn’t happen that way.
It happens quietly.
Incrementally.
Through what I like to call Small Right Actions.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to begin, this concept may be the reframe you’ve been waiting for…
What Are Small Right Actions?
Small Right Actions are intentional, aligned steps that move you forward — even when you don’t feel ready, confident, or fully prepared.
When you’re feeling stuck, low, tired, or like you “just can’t”... I like to say, “reach for the next Small Right Action.”
It might be getting up off the couch, stretching your body, and grabbing a glass of water.
It might be choosing to cook a healthy meal tonight, instead of going out.
It might be taking a quick ten minute walk on lunch, in the hopes of building a new habit.
It might look like taking 5 minutes to do a somatic practice when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
At the beginning of your journey, EVERYTHING can feel overwhelming. And when you’re trying to replace old habits with new ones, you can sometimes feel like you have no idea what to do next. Yeah?
Take a Small Right Action.
These are:
Small enough to be doable
Right enough to feel aligned with your values
Chosen with awareness, not urgency
These actions don’t rely on motivation. They rely on commitment.
Instead of asking, “What’s the fastest way to get there?” We ask, “What’s the next right step I can take today?”
And then, once you start to feel like, “Okay, I’m doing this, I’m moving, I’m building new habits.” It’s time to turn the small steps into a PLAN, or as my coach likes to say, a “play.”
The Power of “Running the Play”
In sports, players don’t stop mid-game to rewrite the strategy. They run the play they were given — trusting the plan, executing their role, and staying focused on what’s directly in front of them.
Life works much the same way.
When we get stuck, it’s often because we’re overthinking the outcome, or waiting for certainty, maybe we’re trying to do everything at once… Or maybe we get bored doing the essentials and we think we need something new.
This is when you remind yourself to RUN THE PLAY.
Running the play means:
Staying present with today’s assignment
Trusting the process even when results aren’t visible
Showing up consistently, and taking the Small Right Actions
Now you might be asking, well what is the assignment?
The assignment is your LIFE. Your WELLNESS. Good choices. Leaning into Personal Excellence. This can look like:
Hitting your protein goal
Hitting your water goal
Getting in your daily movement
Getting enough sleep
Reading ten pages of a personal development book
Your PLAY is made up of the Small Right Actions that support your goal. Running the play consistently brings the goal to life.
Small Steps Create Big Change
Small Right Actions compound over time. That’s the point.
A glass of water each morning becomes better energy throughout the day.
Ten minutes of journaling becomes clarity, instead of brain fog.
One boundary becomes self-trust, instead of dissociation.
Big change isn’t built through intensity — it’s built through consistency.
And consistency is far easier to maintain when the action is small enough to meet you where you are.
Faith, Trust, and Small Beginnings
There’s a quiet faith required to take small steps when you want big answers.
Scripture reminds us:
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” (Zechariah 4:10)
Small actions are not insignificant — they are acts of trust.
They say, “I believe this matters, even if I can’t see the result yet.”
You don’t need to do everything.
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You just need to take the next right step.
And once you’ve got a few that work for you? Write up the play.
And then run the play.
Again, and again and again.
The rest will unfold over time.
Here’s to starting,
BE WELL
L
