Starting small

We are often told to have big goals.

That’s important, because it provides the important direction we need in life and give our life meaning and purpose. Without a big goal, it’s unlikely that one would ever amounts to much.

But having a big goal does not guarantee that one would achieve it. The book of life is full of lofty goals unrealized.

Why is that?

By far the biggest reason is many people who have lofty goals don’t know how to start.

The secret is to start small.

Starting small is more important than thinking big.

As a Chinese proverb goes, a one thousand mile journey begins with the first step.

Thinking about the one thousand miles can be overwhelming. But anyone can take a small step toward somewhere.

Therefore, when you have a big goal, it’s wise to chop it into chewable pieces and chunks.

Start with the smallest piece. Then the next, bigger piece. Then the next. When you have your teeth cut, you can start biting the big chunks. Piece by piece and chunk by chunk, your confidence grows. So are your experience, wisdom and ability. Eventually, you become capable enough to tackle the bigest task to reach your goal.

I experience the difference between taking bigger and smaller steps every time I go to the pool. I used to set a goal of doing 30 or 50 laps and start counting by the laps. My number always felt slow going and I would focus on the large number of laps that I hadn’t done. That always made it a little frustrating and intimidating, which took away most of the fun I was supposed to have.

I noticed that I sometimes miscounted at the turning point instead of the end of a lap. To avoid such mistakes, I decided one day to count the one way, half laps, which is my natural tendency. This proved a very beneficial tactic. Not only did I stop making counting errors, I find that I now no longer focus on the number that I haven’t done, but on the number that I have done, because it adds so fast and easy! The entire task becomes easy. Before long, I’ve got all my laps done.

I observed that the same psychological effect occurs in other endeavours too.

So think big, but start small. That’s the secret for smooth success.

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