The Trojan War didn’t begin with a grand betrayal, a scandalous diplomatic incident, or a catastrophic assassination. 

 

It started because of an apple.🍎

Now, there are a couple of lessons you can take from this story:

But the real moral of the story is this: 

 

From a very early age, we’re taught big outputs require big inputs. To transform our lives, our careers, our relationships, we have to go all in—massive effort, massive risk. “If you want a life that’s easy, do hard things,” yadda yadda yadda.
 

And yes, some say it takes roughly 10,000 hours of focused practice to master a skill. You should also probably go to medical school if you want to become a doctor—but hey, I’m not a doctor. (Ha.)
 

But for every 10,000-hour success story, there are hundreds more where history changed because of the bare minimum—a careless remark, a small mistake, or a single piece of airborne produce:

See what I mean?

 

You have also made choices. Itty bitty, fleeting, sometimes thoughtless, seemingly insignificant choices:

So have I. I’m speaking at a conference in Las Vegas next week as a self-employed content and storytelling strategist. Why? Eleven years ago, I showed up to an interview to be the first-ever Capital Gazette beer writer in Annapolis (paying $50 a column) dressed like a bumble bee.
 

My best friend called me earlier today. Two years ago, we both set fire to our lives because it was what we had to do. When no one else understood why we were doing what we were doing, we turned to each other. We spent hours crying over the phone, countless nights eating soup in bed together while watching When Harry Met Sally, and sunny afternoons dancing outside of her Honda Pilot to Diva by Beyoncé in front of the West Knoxville Mall.
 

Why? After a year of silence, we called each other in 2023 and said, “I miss you.” Then we jumped together and never looked back.

Are any of you petri dish-neglecting scientists or Bible printers lacking the requisite keen eye for detail? I doubt it. Still, you’ve likely spent years underestimating the shockwave-like impact you’ve had with your “inconsequential decision-making.”

 

So, when you catch yourself hesitating—when you think a choice is too small to matter or the effort required to change your circumstances is too great—remember this:

You're already shaping your life in ways you don’t even realize. The only question now is whether you’re doing it on purpose. Every small action you commit to—every delay, every risk, every word left unsaid or spoken aloud—is a radical act of creation. 

 

Just make sure you're creating a life you actually want to live.