Marketing Dopamine • October 24, 2026

One Decision at a Time

We tend to imagine change as a big event. A new year. A fresh plan. A complete overhaul of how we work.
Big plans feel motivating. They also tend to collapse under their own weight. There is too much to do, too many moving parts, and too little room for an ordinary, busy week.
Real change usually looks much smaller than that.
It looks like one decision, made on purpose.

You do not change your business all at once. You change it one decision at a time.

One decision to stop an activity that is not working. One decision to ask a customer a question. One decision to rewrite the first line on your website so people understand what you do.
None of these feel dramatic. That is exactly why they work. A small decision is easy to make and easy to keep. And each one makes the next one a little easier, because you are no longer just thinking about change. You are practicing it.
Momentum is not built by the size of the decision. It is built by making the next one.

Small and certain beats big and someday.

If you have been waiting for the right moment to make a big change, consider making a small one instead.
Lisa Carmichael is the author of The Marketing Dopamine Workbook: From Awareness to Action, available now, a companion to her book Marketing Dopamine: What Your Brain Is Really Doing When You Think You’re Building a Business, coming soon. Learn more at marketingdopamine.com