“The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step.” Unknown
Today I would like to talk about how taking small consistent tangible steps towards a goal can help you accomplish more and stress less. So many of us have great ambitions and ideals that we wish to realize but when we want to take action towards these goals we feel paralyzed by the immensity of the task at hand. We don’t know where to start so we give up before we even start. In other words, we fail to break down our lofty goal into smaller more achievable targets. Taking baby steps and tip-toeing towards our goals will take us all the way to our lofty objectives if we can figure out what these baby steps are.
Taking tangible small steps that we can complete within our daily routine is one of the best ways to achieve our goals and change our lives for the better. If you want to write a novel, maybe you decide to write a page a day or even a paragraph a day and before you know it, you have pages and pages of writing. When you want to learn a new language, maybe you decide to dedicate one hour a day to focus on an aspect of the language such as grammar or new vocabulary. Everyone is wired differently and may have a different preference as what may or may not work for them. The important thing is that we get to decide what new habit to adopt and what old habit to let go of. Someone may decide to cut down on their daily entertainment time (e.g. watching sports, tv shows, or playing video games) and dedicate more time to their creative side whatever it may be.
We are all creatures of habit and it takes a few weeks to a couple of months before some new habit becomes a natural part of daily flow or an old habit no longer tugs us back to square one. One important thing is to see what can be done immediately that will be conducive towards our ultimate goal. Sometimes that may be making a phone call to someone or writing an email or going for a walk around the block. The immediate step in front of us needs to be easy enough that we can see ourselves finishing it by the end of the day. That is the key: starting small and simple. When we feel like we have to do too much, our natural response is fight-or-flight. We like to do nothing at all and postpone taking any actions. Instead, we like to curl up in our comfy bubble, eat junk food and binge-watch TV until the day is over and we have lost yet another day to our lack of action. So we stay where we are in life. We feel stuck but also helpless.
You are reading this for a reason. If you have made it this far into the post, then take this as a message from the universe that you can do this. You have those dreams for a reason. Those are YOUR dreams and are meant to be realized by YOU. Stop procrastinating! Start today! Ask yourself: what can I do today to move even slightly closer to my dream. Have faith and confidence that the universe has your back. You can read my first blog post that is all about the universe supporting you when you take inspired action towards realizing your highest dreams.
There are numerous historical anecdotes about how micro-actions can create macro-impact. One in particular relates to how Mahatma Gandhi in a bold revolutionary move on April 6, 1930, made salt from sea water in an act of defiance against the great British colonial power which had banned anyone from making salt except for the royalty. That single simple modest action marked a critical turning point in a series of events that ultimately lead to the independence of India as a sovereign nation, free from British colonialism. That is how powerful baby steps are. So what baby steps are you going to take that will bring you closer to your dreams? You can share in comments.
Today I would like to talk about how taking small consistent tangible steps towards a goal can help you accomplish more and stress less. So many of us have great ambitions and ideals that we wish to realize but when we want to take action towards these goals we feel paralyzed by the immensity of the task at hand. We don’t know where to start so we give up before we even start. In other words, we fail to break down our lofty goal into smaller more achievable targets. Taking baby steps and tip-toeing towards our goals will take us all the way to our lofty objectives if we can figure out what these baby steps are.
Taking tangible small steps that we can complete within our daily routine is one of the best ways to achieve our goals and change our lives for the better. If you want to write a novel, maybe you decide to write a page a day or even a paragraph a day and before you know it, you have pages and pages of writing. When you want to learn a new language, maybe you decide to dedicate one hour a day to focus on an aspect of the language such as grammar or new vocabulary. Everyone is wired differently and may have a different preference as what may or may not work for them. The important thing is that we get to decide what new habit to adopt and what old habit to let go of. Someone may decide to cut down on their daily entertainment time (e.g. watching sports, tv shows, or playing video games) and dedicate more time to their creative side whatever it may be.
We are all creatures of habit and it takes a few weeks to a couple of months before some new habit becomes a natural part of daily flow or an old habit no longer tugs us back to square one. One important thing is to see what can be done immediately that will be conducive towards our ultimate goal. Sometimes that may be making a phone call to someone or writing an email or going for a walk around the block. The immediate step in front of us needs to be easy enough that we can see ourselves finishing it by the end of the day. That is the key: starting small and simple. When we feel like we have to do too much, our natural response is fight-or-flight. We like to do nothing at all and postpone taking any actions. Instead, we like to curl up in our comfy bubble, eat junk food and binge-watch TV until the day is over and we have lost yet another day to our lack of action. So we stay where we are in life. We feel stuck but also helpless.
You are reading this for a reason. If you have made it this far into the post, then take this as a message from the universe that you can do this. You have those dreams for a reason. Those are YOUR dreams and are meant to be realized by YOU. Stop procrastinating! Start today! Ask yourself: what can I do today to move even slightly closer to my dream. Have faith and confidence that the universe has your back. You can read my first blog post that is all about the universe supporting you when you take inspired action towards realizing your highest dreams.
There are numerous historical anecdotes about how micro-actions can create macro-impact. One in particular relates to how Mahatma Gandhi in a bold revolutionary move on April 6, 1930, made salt from sea water in an act of defiance against the great British colonial power which had banned anyone from making salt except for the royalty. That single simple modest action marked a critical turning point in a series of events that ultimately lead to the independence of India as a sovereign nation, free from British colonialism. That is how powerful baby steps are. So what baby steps are you going to take that will bring you closer to your dreams? You can share in comments.