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Move the Lever Every Day – Why Little Things Make a Big Difference

Writer's picture: four32 MEDIAfour32 MEDIA

A photo for a blog about why little things make a big difference, taught by Jay Ashcroft of four32 Media, a professional videographer, photographer and marketing specialist who works with businesses in barrie, orillia, muskoka and toronto and the rest of North America

 

Picture this if you will.

 

I’m sitting in a ski chalet at the moment. It’s still dark outside, there’s a fire going in the woodstove. My dog’s lying on the couch beside me and a Bach vinyl is playing quietly in the background.

 

I’m sipping on a coffee looking out the window, as the sun slowly comes up.

 

I’m at peace – and I’m happy and excited about the future.

 

My business is being rebuilt, after recovering from an injury for 7 months – and I’m content with where I’m at.

 

But this wasn’t by accident – I’ve been designing ever so slowly and consistently for the past 3 years. 

 

You see, the first year of business for me was about getting down my skillset. It was heavy learning and heavy application. Over and over and over again.

 

And you know what? I got pretty good at what I do pretty quickly. I was lucky. I was feeling inspired about living because my niece and my father had just passed away.

 

On top of that, I had time on my side. It was COVID, if you recall. It was full of lockdowns and no work – the timing was immaculate and I acted. I simply created. And from destruction, my business was built.

 

Now, the last 3 years have been about sculpting my reality in the way that I want to experience it. And I do one big thing every year. Let’s lay it out.

 

• 2019: Start the business

• 2020: Get a place with Emma

• 2021: Get my Ontario Street office

• 2022: Get my Secord Drive studio

• 2023: Move up to cottage country

• 2024? You’ll just have to wait and find out

 

You see, I think things through thoroughly, I meditate on them if you will. And then I begin to act, knowing that it’s the only way to get it done. And this brings me to my main point here. To the climax of my ramblings. To why little things make a big difference.

 

You need to move the lever every day. In the direction of your choosing. I can honestly attribute my understanding of this fact to all of the years I worked as a manual labourer.

 

You can look at the pile of gravel all day – but it isn’t going to get it moved any faster. You need to begin. The sooner you begin, the sooner it’ll be moved.

 

So let’s take this concept and apply it to you, to your business.

 

What do you want? What direction are you going in? If you don’t know – then it should really be your top priority.

 

You see, life is full of random acts and events. It’s full of opinions and ideas and concepts that we all kind of collect and then sculpt into our own perception of reality. And as far as I can tell, this is how it goes.

 

You pick a goal, you move towards it as quickly as you can, and then once you’ve accomplished it – you pick a new, more challenging one.

 

Then you repeat this until you die, all while remembering to enjoy the process, smiling and laughing your way through the thing. That’s it. Sounds simple right? Well, it actually is.

 

Make decisions, move in a certain direction, act fast – win, lose, learn and repeat.

 

Life is straight up just a game. So play it, and enjoy it. Games are supposed to be fun, they aren’t supposed to be taken too seriously.

 

Choose a goal for your life and business, and then move the lever every single day – even if it’s just a little bit. Once it’s been accomplished, choose a new one. That’s it.


I think back on what I accomplished each year. In 2019 I started my business. It was all that I wanted, and I began to turn a profit pretty quickly.

 

In 2020 I got a place with Em. At the time, that was my goal.

 

From there, in 2021, I focused on having a small office space outside of our home. Within months, I attained it.

 

By 2022, I had attained my dream studio by obsessively focusing on it.

 

By 2023, I had spent a year focusing on where I actually wanted to live. Up to this time, I had built my business in my hometown, after returning from many years abroad. I didn’t want this anymore, and got to work building my new reality in my mind.

 

And now, here we are – living where I want to live, and doing what I want to do. It’s been a long and arduous journey, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

 

Now, in 2024 – I’m focusing on my biggest year yet – and I’ve started to move the lever for ’24 every day. I started a month and a half ago.

 

As far as what the big goal this year is? Well, I’m sorry to say – but I can’t tell you that. This is my final rule and tip on this front – don’t talk about where you’re going until it’s already well in motion.

 

Our brain doesn’t know the difference between what we say we’re going to do and what we’ve actually done, so if we talk more than we walk – our brain rewards us with feel good chemicals, tricking us into thinking we’ve already done it – when in reality, you haven’t done shit.

 

So – pick a goal, move the lever every day and build your business up to what you want it to be.

 

If you need a hand with any of this, reach out for a chat – I’m always happy to help.

 

To Your Success,

Jay Ashcroft

four32 MEDIA

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