Look For Speed Bumps as Your 2022 Goals

Here we are in mid-January.  Resolutions are fading, and you may be thinking “my goal list looks kind of lame.”  I’m here to tell you a story and encourage you to think small. That’s right – small.It was the summer of 2005, a little after midnight.  A teen driver was going too fast on a “cut through” street on the Northside of Indy.  The teen lost control flying over a hill and tragically died.  Our neighborhood was shocked and brainstormed action. Many teens had lost control of their cars on this flat street with curves that is a “back way” to North Central High School. Neighbors had been told that the street didn’t qualify for speed bumps because there wasn’t high enough traffic volume. Somehow word got to Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson who changed the decision and speed bumps were put in place.To this day, those speed bumps slow drivers, no doubt saving lives of drivers, bikers and walkers.  People pushing strollers don’t have to worry about a “freeway” of teen drivers or grown ups in a hurry. Was this the biggest decision Bart Peterson made as mayor? No. It was likely one of many he made in a single day. Yet this small decision has improved the quality of life for the hundreds of people who live here in the neighborhood and the thousands more who travel this side of town. I am grateful for these speed bumps daily as I walk the pandemic puppy.  Bonus – people have to slow down so I can wave a hello!What SMALL decisions can you make that have impact?  As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “The time is always right to do what is right.”  Doing something small right can have just as much impact as a “big deal decision.”This year I’m going to focus on doing what is right, one small decision or action step at a time. (By the way, keep telling stories too – they help illustrate the universal lessons of life!)Look for the speed bumps – they make a difference.