There are few people in this world who have their life exactly the way they like it… most of us, in fact, often feel helpless to even move toward what we want. We feel “stuck”, “in a rut”, overwhelmed, alone, etc., but we don’t feel like there is anything that we can do about it.
That’s where we’re wrong, though (and yes, I’m intentionally including me… I’ve been stuck in this mindset for a while now). There is something that we can do… and we even know what it is.
Alright… enough build up. If you want to make your life more the way that you want it, all you need to do is pick one area that you want to change, one goal you want to reach. Now figure out one small step you can take to move in that direction.
When I say small, I mean small. I’m talking about a step small enough that you can do it today, and have it take less than an hour. If you feel alone in your life, your one small step might be to reach out to one person today… it could be someone you know, or a stranger. If you don’t like your job, your one small step might be to figure out what job would make you happy.
Even one small step forward makes a huge difference in your mindset, your mental state. It can start to change your whole outlook, not just on the one area, but on life in general. It can start to relieve stress, depression, and being overwhelmed… with just one step.
If you keep taking small steps, one step per day, you’ll soon find yourself a lot further along than you expected. You’ll also start to teach yourself to approach life, and problems, that way, and you’ll begin to notice that your life is a lot more positive, happy… more the way you want it.
This article, by the way, is my one small step for today.
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Image from SXC.
November 10, 2011
Great article Jason!
I am a true believer of the “one simple step”. Many times we set goals for ourselves that are so challenging that just thinking about them feels overwhelming. We need to be aware of our strengths and weaknesses and set goals realistically. That doesn’t mean you no longer dream big, just that we take baby steps to that big dream.
I hate the gym, but have been wanting to get fit recently, so I had to make a commitment to start going to the gym. My baby step was to commit just to GO to the gym. Whether I work out or not was not important. It’s easy to drive over there, sometimes I manage to work out 30 minutes, sometimes i do 10 minutes, sometimes I just sit in the car and then drive back home. I don’t feel like I’ve failed anything because I did what I was committed to. The days that I do actually work out are beneficial since I can now fit into my skinny jeans again! It’s time to move into the next baby step and commit to staying at the gym, I’m at a place where I can handle that mentally now.
We need to stop being so hard on ourselves, doing something simple is always better than doing nothing at all.
November 11, 2011
Yes, doing something simple is better than not doing anything at all, especially because the hardest part of moving toward any goal is just getting started. Once you begin moving, no matter how small that movement is, it overcomes the inertia that otherwise keeps us from approaching our goals. The next step is then much easier to take.
Unfortunately, this holds true in reverse, as well… if you stop taking steps forward, the inertia comes back and makes it hard to get started again, even if you are now much closer to your goal.
November 16, 2011
Hey Jason,
Really good article. Got to keep the momentum going forward, because if you stop… you go back!!