I made a series of poor choices about money through the first forty-five years of my life. In saving for retirement, the key, as everyone knows, is to start early . . . which I didn’t. I’ve since wised up, but when I look at the amounts that I will be able to save over the next fifteen years they seem too small. Not ENOUGH. Why bother?
Of course, this is the thinking that got me here in the first place.
I call this the insignificance trap — and it goes well beyond money. It’s what happens when we fail to connect our actions to our values and long-term goals. What could one day of [insert effort] matter, we think? I need change today. When we fall into this trap, even the simplest acts of self-discipline can feel pointless. Our response might be to do nothing, or it might be to overcorrect — twenty push-ups? What about TWO HUNDRED? — which is a recipe for burnout later. (The rest of the week: zero push-ups and a lot of Advil.)
However grand our goals, if we can’t see how our day-to-day choices contribute to them, we’re likely to falter. Why put in the effort to learn something new when it feels like just one small step in a long road? Why bother starting a creative project at fifty-five when someone half your age already has a head start?
And like so many traps, this one creates a downward cycle. If we dismiss the importance of our actions, we’ll see fewer results. This reinforces the belief that our actions don’t matter, digging us in deeper.
When you’re twenty-five, “start small” feels like obvious advice. When you’re fifty, it can feel like an insult. You’re aware of what you didn’t start, what you didn’t finish, how much runway you’ve used. The voice that says it’s too late or it’s too small carries a weight it didn’t used to.
But here’s what I keep coming back to. The reality is that $100,000 saved is not as good as a million — but it is much better than $10,000, and $10,000 is better than $0. Something is better than nothing. This reframe is a good first response to the insignificance trap, because even a cynic has to admit it’s technically true.
Going further, we might be able to recognize that there is a reward right now for living according to our values. Even if a given choice doesn’t have cosmic significance, it impacts how we feel about ourselves. Picking up litter while we jog might be a small act in the grand scheme of environmental conservation — but if it’s something we’ve decided to do, in line with values we care about, following through will mean bringing ourselves that much closer to the person we want to be while we’re here on this planet. And those are great stakes indeed.
The way out of the trap is to trust that the right choice, taken again and again, turns into something that matters. But there is more to it than simple accumulation. When we do the things we know are best for us, even the small ones, we feel better. We are less anxious, and we feel more in control of our own lives. Not because we’ve arrived anywhere, but because we’re moving in a direction we actually chose.
Where in your life is the insignificance trap keeping you from starting?
-Eric
ERIC ZIMMER is an author, teacher, speaker, and the creator of The One You Feed podcast—an award-winning show with more than 75 million downloads. At twenty-four, Eric was homeless, addicted to heroin, and facing prison. Over two decades into recovery, he’s become a sought-after teacher and speaker on how to make profound changes that lead to greater meaning and fulfillment. His new book is How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life.