A lot of times we start new projects and endeavors with a lot of excitement. We set goals, we put steps into place, we feel like it’s all or nothing … however, our plans don’t always come to fruition. Sometimes we find it difficult to keep up the rigor. What can happen then is we let our plans or goals go by the wayside because we have such an all or nothing attitude. What I have learned is that a little bit of consistent effort in any area can make huge changes over time.
I remember one instance where I set a goal to make a certain number of calls within an hour.
However, a task from the previous hour spilled into the next. This left me with less time to achieve my goal. Initially, I thought that since I wasn’t going to be able to achieve my goal, that I would just try again tomorrow. This thought process can lead to procrastination or to put things off until a later date. Instead, I told myself that a little something was better than nothing at all.
I may have only made half a dozen calls, but they were meaningful, and I made incredible progress. Sure, I didn’t meet my goal, but I did achieve something. You can read a little more on this idea in my blog post called Millionaires are Relentless.
A similar example can be our commitment to working out.
We may set a goal to work out every morning or every day, but life happens, and we are not always able to stick to this goal. However, instead of not doing a workout, we may be able to do a few exercises or a few reps of an exercise.
Instead of doing nothing, you did a little something and the cumulative benefit of doing a little something can have a big impact over time. And so, rather than being hard on yourself or giving up, be kind to yourself and do yourself some good. It is important to overcome the all or nothing attitude and realize that small steps and small achievements all add up over time.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
We tend to overwhelm ourselves by looking at the end of the journey, rather than what is right in front of us. Overwhelm can trip you up at any point in your journey, but it’s most prominent when you decide to grow or stretch your life beyond its current limits.
Frequently the gap between where you are and where you want to be is so big that you assume your first steps must be big also. Overwhelm sets in and you freeze.
Know this: You don’t have to take huge steps. You don’t have to go all or nothing.
You don’t have to be crushed beneath a cascading pile of “too much to do” until you simply shut down and do nothing. Overwhelm is only a feeling; a phantom; a mind game. You only have to take the first small step, and the next small steps, one at a time. It’s the small incremental steps that get you where you want to go.
Consistent one foot in front of the other efforts can really make all the difference. We often want to achieve so much or make a big impact all at once, but sometimes things don’t go as planned and we end up doing nothing at all. Other times, we may become so overwhelmed that we don’t even start. Battling this attitude one step at a time is all that’s needed.
Some days you will make huge progress and other days less.
What matters is that you keep moving forward. As long as you are moving in the right direction, you are winning! Success comes in increments.
