eird title, I know, but this really is about five pushups. I am not a big commitment kind of guy. I have tried some serious commitments and failed — for many, a relatable experience. I have tried the 21-day approach for things such as working out, dieting, writing, saving money, being on time, productivity and so much more, hoping to establish a new positive habit, but the effort usually crashes in about a week or two. Sometimes I have achieved the 21-day commitment, but a lack of true alignment, the effort really taking hold, has led me to quit. With that, the inevitable feeling of failure creeps in and I resolve myself to mediocrity.

Then, about a year ago, I had an epiphany. I woke up about 30 minutes before my alarm clock and I was feeling miserable. I was sore for no reason and I assumed what I always assumed: I was getting older, things were wearing out and I was eating more than was good for someone my age. Every aspect of my life felt like it was winding down, which is a horrible feeling. So, I decided I would make a small change. Nothing drastic, just something superficial to be healthier. I decided that I would do five pushups every morning as soon as I woke up, no more, no less, and I would do it no matter what. I decided that I could commit to this little action without much argument from my other self who wanted to stay in bed or snooze a bit longer!

It became an obsession. If I forgot to do it in my morning routine, I would go back to bed for a minute or two and then get up and do my five pushups. I found that it was the only real commitment that I could stick to at that time. It didn’t do much for my physical health, but for my mental health it was a huge leap forward. I no longer felt like I was winding down every day. Instead, I felt like I was gearing up! It gave me hope, like I was still capable of committing to something and being relevant. All of this came from one small commitment to a routine that changed little about my day and zero about my lifestyle.

Eventually, I started applying this approach to other areas of my life. Instead of writing a journal entry every day, I just wrote a word or two daily about how I was feeling and placed it on the refrigerator or whiteboard. Instead of turning off the TV and going to the gym, I decided to stand up while watching TV for at least 30 minutes. Instead of rushing through my day haphazardly, I chose to write down one thing I had to accomplish by day’s end and committed to making it happen.

The lesson? I found that I could add achievable and valuable micro routines to my day. They were small things, but small things add up to big things. Can I go on a major diet and change everything? No. I can add a bottle of water to the end of my day so that I feel full. Can I commit to saving 20% of my income? No. I can set aside $50 from each paycheck that I won’t feel compelled to touch. Can I write a novel by writing one page every day? No, but I can write a conversation paragraph once a week and not be overwhelmed.

This is the beauty of five pushups for me. I learned that by committing to these minor changes in my life, things didn’t seem disrupted all that much. Through repetition, they became just little things that I do obsessively every day as a matter of habit. Like brushing my teeth or shaving, they didn’t take any effort or thought.

At some time, each of us have to make life assessments. Perhaps you can’t commit to the lofty ideals of others, but you can manage small routine changes that drive you forward. These small accelerations can make a big difference in your life.

I used to subscribe to Frederick Nietzsche’s theory that “few aspire to greatness, and the rest of us are the botched and the bungled.” My view is different now that I understand that change isn’t about the large leaps we take; it is about the small steps we take to make our lives better. No matter who you are or where you come from, when you take enough small steps—in this case small additions to your daily routine—you can aspire to greatness!