Getting Ahead

"Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." - Lao Tzu
This quote flashed at the bottom of my online task list. I felt the need to write something about it. It puts my thoughts about life neatly into nine small words.
An example that comes to mind is the idea of holding a glass of water. At first, it is simply a glass of water, it is not heavy. After carrying it for an hour or two, your arm will start to fall and your muscles will cramp. Suddenly, this simple glass of water is as painful as carrying a two hundred pound weight. Hold it for long enough and it will eventually fall and shatter.
In my life, I live by a plan. My week is mapped out for me by Sunday night. I am able to account for things that will throw others into a whirlwind.
I was raised around my anxiety driven, OCD diagnosed grandmother and her six children who follow much too closely in her footsteps. They are all spontaneous and want to go out on a random Saturday morning to the zoo. Every next step is unknown and yet, they worry about every single one.
I am no exception. I was raised in this family of not-exactly-sane people. I am not-exactly-sane. The difference between my grandmother who is constantly so stressed out she can't stop shaking and me, is I am aware of what will happen if I don't have my next three steps planned out. I have witnessed it seven times over. It is terrifying.
The quote "Deal with the big while it is still small." points out that things will not get any easier. If you put something small off for long enough, it becomes something much larger. It can grow physically as in cleaning, or mentally, as in putting off a paper until the day before it is due. The paper is no bigger than it was before, but the stress surrounding it has multiplied.
I'm going to pin this quote on my thought board because it is a great thing to live by. Finish what needs to be done before it becomes something you can't handle. No matter how big it seems not, it will only get worse until you do something about it.