Your Incremental Efforts Will Lead to Cumulative Success

It’s always nice to get results.

It’s always nice to put in the work and see it pay off.

And it’s always nice to have somebody validate that work.

Even if that somebody is your dentist.

This past Saturday morning when I went in for my six-month appointment, I didn’t know what to expect. I had no idea what was happening in the inside of my mouth.

But after my cleaning — which wasn’t nearly as painful as it’s been before — my dentist conducted his inspection and was pleased with what he saw. Before walking away, he asked me what steps I’d been taking to maintain my healthy hygiene.

I reminded him that when I first came to him two years ago, my mouth was a mess. He made me endure a deep cleaning, which gave me a clean slate, and then he laid out a plan for me to follow:

Brush for two minutes at a time; floss every day; use a Waterpik before going to bed.

So every morning and night I did this. Yes, it was a pain. And sometimes it was literally painful.

But thankfully, over time, these incremental efforts ultimately led to cumulative success.

Now, if only this lesson translated to my improv comedy classes…

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This originally appeared on 100 Naked Words.