The one about Rome not being built in a day.
Or as they say in Zamora, Spain... "No se ganó Zamora en una hora."
Hi Friends,
I’ve been busy at work in Newsletter Land, putting together multiple issues for the upcoming weeks. You see, I’m headed to Spain for the first part of April on a press trip to cover Holy Week in the Spanish city of Zamora. Yes, the same Zamora mentioned in the title of this newsletter. I promise this will all start to make sense.
As you may have noticed, I’ve sort of got a thing for Spain, and to be able to say that I’m headed to Spain for my second writing trip in less than a year is truly a dream come true.
I’m not pointing this out to brag, nor do I take these trips for granted. The truth of the matter is I’ve worked a long, long time to get to this point where I’m able to travel to Spain as part of my job. (Watch for the back story on that in a future newsletter.)
But getting back to the Zamora story. As I was researching the city, I kept seeing “No se ganó Zamora en una hora” come up, with its meaning explained in a few different ways.
One account (as I retell in a way that probably sounds like Bill & Ted from last week’s newsletter) mentioned a king who had five children/heirs and obviously didn’t consult with an estate attorney for his succession plan. He made some poor decisions that did not end well, consequently leaving his kids to fight for power and land long after he died.
This nastiness continued into the 15th Century when again two related family members got into an epic fight, known as the War of the Castillian Succession - basically, the supporters of Isabella the Catholic fought the supporters of Juana la Beltraneja. After four years, Isabella came out the winner, and the Spanish proverb No se ganó Zamora en una hora or Zamora wasn’t won in an hour was born.
Now, I happen to have a friend who lives in Zamora, so I asked her. She told me another story about fighting for control of land taking a long time but also said that the expression No se ganó Zamora en una hora is a popular Castilian saying that refers to something taking a lot of effort to achieve. You have to have a lot of patience and put in much hard work to get something.
This all sounds a lot to me like “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and also (as you may have guessed) the theme of this issue…
What I’d Rather Be Talking About this week is the power of taking many small steps to achieve big goals.
In other words, we shouldn’t underestimate our daily efforts and the small changes we make that help us chisel away at our long-term dreams.
With that, let’s take a few steps forward together.
Abbey
PODCASTS:
No explanation is needed with these, their titles tell all:
THE SKINNY CONFIDENTIAL - “How to Transform Your Life By Making Small Changes with Big Impact”
MIKE DOOLEY, “Spiritual Tune-Ups - The Power of Taking Small Steps”
YOUTUBE:
Ted Talk: Here’s one to throw out at a family dinner when your 22-year-old tells you they don’t know what to do next. Just go do SOMETHING.
Okay, I get it. You might be reading this newsletter thinking, “I know what I want, but I don’t know the steps to visualize or how to get started.” Well, then you need to watch “4 Proper Steps to Manifest According to Science” by Mel Robbins.
Another way of looking at small steps is thinking about taking things One Day At A Time… The School of Life pulls these two ideas together in this inspirational short. (Hint - the lesson here is to be patient.)
Kate Callaway is the perfect way to wrap up these YouTubes I’ve provided. In How to Start - this is your sign to get motivated, be productive, Kate talks about showing up daily to become your dream self. It’s a bit of a long video, so if you’re short on time, I’d say listen to the first six minutes or so.
SOMETHING TO READ:
It turns out Arianna Huffington and I are on the same wavelength this week. Check out her newsletter where she talks about how “Small Changes = Life Changing Results.” Here she shares a bunch of uplifting stories about small efforts leading to big changes. My favorite part of the newsletter is where she talks about the power of food as medicine.
FOOD AND BEVS:
How about a little olive oil in your coffee? Say what? Yes, apparently, it’s hot in Starbucks in Italy now, and mark my words, it’s coming for us. I tried it at home and inspired by the mug I was using, dubbed it the “one-eyed Picasso.”
(My pic below is definitely not the prettiest pour, but it was very tasty. And isn’t that a cool mug?)
Looking to take small steps to improve your food habits? Let’s start with breakfast. First, get yourself a bowl Purely Elizabeth or use their flour to make grain-free, gluten-free pancakes or waffles. *Purely Elizabeth describes their products as “superfoods with vibrant flavors and rich textures to create delicious foods to help you thrive on your wellness journey” - what you need to know… THEIR GRANOLA IS DELICIOUS and very good for you.
Not into juice in the a.m. but still want something sweet that also has anti-inflammatory and immunity benefits? Then you’ll want to try ZYN. ZYN is an anti-inflammatory beverage developed by two brothers and made with Curcumin (a compound derived from turmeric, famous for its anti-inflammatory powers). I truly feel this helps me continue to enjoy running by reducing inflammation in my body. In fact, I love the stuff so much, I’m a ZYN-bassador. (Impressive, huh?) What that means to you is you’ll get 20% off your first order by clicking the link and entering “amaZYN” in the coupon code area.
AND ON A SERIOUS NOTE…
I’m not going to leave a long serious note this week, because hello, the theme is small steps. So here’s a small serious note.
Everyone reading this has something on the “dream docket.”
How about from here on out we keep in mind that all dreams (big and small) feel a whole lot less overwhelming when we realize we don’t have to do it all in a day, we just need to do something each day.
And if we skip a day?
Totally fine.
Start again the next.
As long as we’re moving forward… we’re moving forward. (Very logical, right?)
So, let’s keep moving forward.
Small step by small step, we’ll get there.
I promise.
Until next week,
Abbey
* Please note that I do receive affiliate commissions for Purely Elizabeth and ZYN. I’m proud to represent these two companies and enjoy their products every single day. :) I only post what I support myself!