The Small Moments That Quietly Change Your Life | Bonus
This episode is part of The Things We Carry, a solo series shaped by the themes that stay with me after more than two hundred conversations on The Life Shift.
Today I am talking about the small moments that end up changing everything. Not the dramatic events we can point to, but the quieter shifts. The split second where you choose something different. The small yes or no that later becomes a turning point. The thought you almost ignore until it finally lands.
In this reflection, I talk about the tiny, almost invisible choices that shape who we become. The gentle nudges. The slow clarifying moments. The things that do not look important at the time but reveal themselves later as the start of a new chapter. Change is rarely loud. Healing is rarely obvious. Most of the time it happens underneath the surface, long before we can name it.
If you are feeling stuck or wondering when your own shift will show up, I hope this episode helps you notice what is already happening inside you. Look for the little things. The small questions. The subtle pull toward something new. Those moments matter more than you think. They might be the beginning of your next life.
This is the mini solo series, The Things We Carry, small moments and themes that keep me thinking way after the conversations on the Life Shift podcast. Hey there, it's Matt and this is one of the solo episodes in which I can take a little time to talk about some of the themes on the Life Shift podcast after 200 something episodes. And I'm just getting the hang of it now. So hopefully you'll bear with me if I start to repeat some stories, but I think it's It's a nice process for myself and hopefully for you as well. So today I wanted to talk a little bit about how these little tiny invisible moments can end up shifting the whole course of our lives. Not these big headlines where, you know, like when my mom died, but maybe the small quiet choice or a decision or something that somehow later on we see where like these huge pivot points in our lives. I was thinking about Allison and she talked about that moment when she was hit with a statement that kind of changed everything for her. And it was, maybe everything is okay. And it feels so simple, just to question herself. But it cracked open a new way of being and she realized that she had been addicted to certainty. And that moment of choosing to trust herself, to trust her body, even when it felt like a shaky promise at first, that was the start of the shift. It wasn't a single big leap, it was just a vow. or a statement made quietly to herself, like planting a seed in some tough soil. And then there was Tony, and I remember how he spoke about peeling back layers, finding that space to be honest and authentic in his life and work. And it was his description of embracing who he really is, even when that meant stepping away from what others expected, was what stuck with me. It wasn't this sudden burst of courage, but really a process of showing up differently, little by little, like someone nudging the door open to a new room, unsure what's inside, but knowing that they have to step through it anyway. And I think about these stories because they remind me how change and healing are messy, that we all carry doubts and fears and old stories that make every step feel uncertain. Sometimes I think I've moved on, only to find myself kind of wrestling with the same old questions again. It's normal, and that's okay. It's not a straight path. The power in these small moments when we decide to do something differently, even if just a little, like reading a line in a book that you've skimmed over before, but on that day it just lands differently, or saying yes to something you almost said no to. Those tiny little nudges can build momentum over time. That butterfly effect, or drops of water slowly carving a canyon. It's easy to overlook these moments as nothing special, but when you look back, you might see how they quietly shaped who you became. I've heard so many guests say they didn't notice the shift while it was happening. The change revealed itself more clearly when reflecting on it. And that's what makes it so tricky and so profound. I'm grateful for this journey of talking to so many people about their life shifts. It's really showed me how varied our stories are on the surface, but truly how connected we are through the feelings underneath. Fear, hope, grief, courage, confusion. We're all just figuring it out. Most of us fumbling along in the dark, trying to find where to put our next foot down. So if you're listening and feeling stuck or uncertain or just curious about what your own life shifts might look like, take a moment to notice those small decisions that you've made lately. They might have seemed insignificant. The little yeses or nos or the quiet questions you ask yourself. Sometimes that's where the shift starts. Maybe today is one of those days for you. Maybe there's a tiny choice waiting to be made that you don't realize will change everything. So thanks for being here with me. I'm right there with you walking this messy unfolding path alongside you. And I believe that those small moments are where our new life quietly begins.
