Vol 13: The Magic of Small Steps

With a blissfully unendorsed Walmart feature.

Welcome to Volume 13 of the Tao Out Loud newsletter where we’re finding everyday magic, every day! If you’ve come here by chance, or a friend passed this on, I hope you’ve come to stay. Sign up below so you don’t miss a thing.

Happy New Year! I know; it’s the last day of January…but since this is the first time you’re hearing from me in 2022 (and I do what I like here), why not? This is also the month that brought me from 37 to 30-Gr8! Thanks to my husband, Dwayne, and the boys, I had a wonderful weekend. Having my sister with us just before made things all the more memorable (and in Makaela fashion, fully chaotic). I’ll share some of my favorite pics at the end. But first the razzle-dazzle…

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The Magic of Taking That First Step

[2 min read]

Breaking news! This week I’m starting a segment called Three Minute Thursdays over @awaketheflame. I’m telling you this not necessarily to promote it, though I’m sure that would be useful. But if I put it out there I won’t be able to keep running away from it. I won’t overthink the process and undercut my progress. I’ll have to do it, and now it’s in the atmosphere, you guys can hold me accountable.

Ironically it’s not so much a fear of doing things that holds me back, but something more nuanced and dastardly. It’s the fear of continuing them, a fear of being inconsistent, which is probably rooted in something deeper I haven’t dug down to yet.

What if I start and the pace is too difficult to maintain? What if I can’t figure out how to produce it how I envision it? What if I can’t keep coming up with content? Reasonable and pedestrian concerns, right? Sure, but I’ll tell you what changed my mind about it.

Last week Dwayne hooked me up with a walking challenge where we and eight friends from home vied to rack up the most Fitbit steps in five days. I naturally took to it and was surprised that by the end of the week I had logged nearly 60,000 steps. I was even motivated to take the walks on my own, though it didn’t hurt to have a cute walking partner. Had I worried about how I would feel in a fortnight or if I would be making it in a month, I would never have stepped out.

Granted, I still don’t know the answers to those questions above, but maybe they don’t really matter. Maybe it’s good enough to gain some momentum, to set your face forward and not look back, to give yourself a chance to see what you’re capable of if you just get started. Dwayne said it on Sunday:

You’ll never even get to the stage of consistency if you don’t take the first step.

Wayne Gretzky says it this way:

You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.

Wayne Gretzky

And the trick of consistency in the next steps is not being afraid to keep them small. You don’t need to have the full plan; just be willing to start with what you can. The more you go the more you’ll grow, you’ll hit your stride and suddenly what seemed like a mountain to climb becomes a molehill to leap. You start to gain momentum. The rest will formulate as you build the muscle of movement and the discipline of doing. Body and mind will align…breathing and stride, desire and will, energy and effort…will fuel future, forward motion. Just remember…

It's often the small things that no one sees that result in the big things that everyone wants.

Craig Groeschel

My 3-minute thought this week will be in this same vein. I’ll be talking about how small effort, and also small neglect, can compound over time. I hope you’ll stop by IG and support. Speaking of steps though…I have another story to tell.

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The 3-Step Relationship Success Strategy I Learned From Walmart Retail Specialists

[2 min read]

Anyone close to me knows I spend an inordinate amount of time on my Walmart grocery runs. I can easily while three hours away and (pro tip) amass a ton of steps between wandering the aisles ‘sightseeing’ and actually shopping. Recently, as I hurried beyond those electric doors seeking warmth—we’ve had a cold front descend on Florida and the temps dropped to the 30s—I noticed something interesting.

Just past the cart collect, near the entrance to the store was a newly stocked shelf of fleece blankets and boxed radiators. They looked out of place facing the humongous, multicolored teddy bears packed a mile high to meet the Valentine’s rush, but there they were in easy access of the frozen Miami masses. I could almost feel those heaters melt the ice from my extremities. Walmart, you clever minx! I think I actually laughed out loud, but I wasn’t too surprised. Here’s why:

Retail specialists know what patrons seldom do…

Your store layout can be a powerful tool to increase sales. With the right merchandising, you could put key items in the radars of your customers and drive impulse purchases. Supermarkets are really good at doing this. Most grocery stores utilize their checkout to showcase popular impulse buy products, such as gift cards, candies, and other items.

https://www.vendhq.com/blog/store-layout-design/

By this indicator, Walmart needs to give its store planner a raise. She’s doing the absolute most! But it also got my brain working (sometimes overthinking comes in handy): There’s a principle here, what is it?

I ended up with a three-step success strategy, good not just for retail but real life, and I’m happy to share it with you…I mean, it’s not like Walmart’s spilling tea today.

Step 1. Predict

Whether you’re setting up a store or sustaining a friendship; it’s crucial to pay attention to the unique and evolving needs of those important people in your life. Not only are your powers of observation critical, but an intangible ‘soft skill’ is of equal merit…and that is simple empathy, being touched by the feelings of others. That’s what customer service (and a sound relationship) is based on.

Clients, colleagues, congregation or cousins—people love to feel considered. They thrive on being thought of. They value feeling valued. If you can couple compassion with catering to those needs (we’ll talk about that later) you have a recipe for mutual profit, however that looks in your context.

Retail planners not only study customers themselves, but they attend to trends and analyze environments. Tao’s going to want to keep her toes and tots toasty while this weather lasts. Let’s put what she wants, nay needs, right in reach before she even knows she could use it. It may not be what she came in for, but by George let’s do our best to make sure it’s what she leaves with. Or at least that’s how I imagine the pre-opening pep talks going.

Sure, Walmart’s end goal is to turn a tidy trade. Depending on where you apply this, that may or may not be your aim. But I’m not talking about manipulation either. We’re mining for genuine creativity, the seeking kindness that follows thoughtfulness.

The principle is this:

Paying authentic attention to the factors that impact people’s lives, will help you PREDICT what they need and proactively serve them.

In this, you make them a priority. And people who feel appreciated—who perceive that what is important to them is also important to you, will repay your efforts in both tangible and intangible ways. I mean, I may not have bought a radiator, but I’m here talking about it, aren’t I?

Next month I’ll share the second step in this strategy for success; be sure to stick around. And if this first key was useful or got you thinking about how you can apply it, feel free to let me know down below…

Disclaimer: In case you hadn’t guessed, Walmart is in no way affiliated with this post (but a girl can dream).

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I promised you pics

From top, left to right:

1. The Howard Clan at Frost Museum in Miami; My cake was 30-Gr8; Looking back to the future like Hey Girl Hey!

2. Bae and Tae; Boys to men 3. Kae-os; My fave, the phoenix roll; Cheesing with dearyoungerme

If this wasn’t enough of the gush, you can always get a dose of my dailies and some bite-sized encouragement by following me on IG or Facebook.

Dear Readers

I just could not resist sharing this with you when my mom sent it. How I cackled! Take some joy into February. Chao for now, with love.