The Power of Small Shifts
- Alison Nissen
- Dec 9, 2025
- 4 min read
I had to think about it.
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words demand reflection.
It’s an easy thing to say, but is it an easy thing to believe?
No.
When Dr. Jamey Maniscalco shared it on the ABOVE CENTER® Podcast, I recognized that it frames the central tension many leaders face: we want change. Real. Lasting. Meaningful. But too often, we approach it as an all-or-nothing sprint.
We want change!
When do we want it?
NOW!
As we move toward the New Year, the season of big promises and even bigger resolutions, many of us feel the pull to overhaul everything at once. New habits. New mindset. New self by January 2nd.
Unfortunately, change rarely works that way.
More often, transformation comes from small, barely noticeable steps compounded over time. That’s why ideas like the “1% rule” resonate: tiny, incremental shifts can eventually redirect the trajectory of a life, much like adjusting a plane’s course by a single degree.
Research on habit formation highlights how small, consistent actions can create meaningful long-term change. James Clear describes this as the 1% rule, the idea that “improving by just 1 percent today may seem insignificant, but over the span of months and years these small improvements accumulate into remarkable results” (Clear, 2018).
Clear explains that habits compound much like interest. Tiny gains, so small they are easy to overlook. When repeated, however, progress grows exponentially.
The strength of this model lies not in intensity but in consistency; a minor shift in daily behavior subtly redirects one’s trajectory, resulting in the change we wish for.
While the 1% metaphor is compelling, Dr. Jamey Maniscalco offers something deeper, more human, and rooted in neuroscience.
The Myth of the Overnight Reinvention
In our ABOVE CENTER Podcast conversation, Jamey described a pattern familiar to anyone who has ever made a New Year’s resolution. It begins with an intense push for immediate reinvention, followed by burnout and regression. Neuroscience shows that drastic change overloads the brain. Willpower drains quickly. Stress responses spike. Habits collapse.
And Jamey should know, he is a neuroscientist.
Instead of chasing perfection or drastic behavior shifts, Jamey invites a more compassionate and sustainable approach. He says, “Let’s find the smallest manageable thing you can do that will yield the maximum impact.”
It’s not about being 1% better every day. It’s about identifying the next right action that your brain and nervous system can actually sustain.
Micro-Shifts Are Brain-Friendly
As someone steeped in the study of the brain, Jamey roots his work in how the brain truly operates. When we support brain health through sleep, nourishment, movement, breathing, and mindfulness, the brain becomes sharper, steadier, and better able to regulate emotions.
And small habits are far more neurologically sustainable than drastic change.
Can’t get to the gym for an hour?
Take a two-minute walk.
Can’t meditate for ten minutes?
Practice one physiological sigh.
Can’t overhaul your diet?
Drink one more glass of water today.
These shifts seem insignificant, but they change the story you tell yourself. You move from “I failed again” to “I’m a person who takes care of myself, even in tiny ways.”
And that shift matters.
Jamey adds, when “people think health [and] wellness,” they often jump to, “I need to lose weight, I need to be fit, I need to have stamina, right, to be able to do all these things.”
He then reframes the conversation, “You need a brain that's able to fire on all cylinders. And if you have a brain that's firing on all cylinders, it gives you all the skills and capabilities to be the best working mother, to be the best triathlete, to be the best executive.”
When the brain feels safe and regulated, it can adopt and maintain new habits far more effectively than when it’s overwhelmed or depleted.
Closing the Knowing–Doing Gap
Most leaders know what to do. We know we should sleep more, move more, slow down more. The challenge is implementation.
Jamey bridges that gap by grounding change in the real why: intrinsic purpose. When habits serve what matters most, they stick.
While I know I should sleep more, move more, slow down more, understanding the reason behind it “grounds” me. I’m less rushed, more present, a better leader.
So, I’m going to use our interview as a practical starting point.
One emotional check-in
One extra glass of water
One pause before responding
One moment of breathing between meetings
One mindful transition, instead of rushing
These aren’t glamorous. They’re not headline-worthy. They’re the tiny pivots that tilt us gently, yet unmistakably, back above center. They are doable, and doable is where change actually lives.
Transformation isn’t a January resolution. It’s a daily decision. It’s also an ABOVE CENTER® nudge to be who you wish to be more often.
And Emerson is right. “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
It starts with one intentional moment. One small shift at a time.
That’s how we become the person we decide to be.
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About the author: As the co-founder and Chief Storytelling Officer of Revel Coach, a career growth platform, Alison Nissen helps leaders perfect their business pitches and online presence through storytelling. Successful executives use key storytelling points to engage their audience and gain market share because they know good storytelling is the best form of marketing, recruiting, and fundraising. Write Your Book NOW! Mastermind enrolling now.
The Revel Coach™ Blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not mental health, financial, business or legal advice. The information presented here is not intended to diagnose, treat, heal, cure or prevent any medical, mental or emotional condition. The information presented here is not a guarantee that you will obtain any results or earn any money using our content.
