Everyone implores you to THINK BIG.
Go big or go home. Be audacious. Don’t settle. Be all you can be (if not more). Set BHAGs (big, hairy, audacious goals). Shoot for the moon – or is it the stars?
It’s exhausting.
And often demoralizing.
Because let’s face it, when we set those BHAGs, we’re likely to miss the mark at least some of the time – if not most of the time.
Let me be perfectly clear: I’m absolutely not advocating for giving up on your dreams and aspirations.
What I am saying is that getting there is the result of a lot of small steps, not one giant leap.
The people who succeed in climbing Mount Everest don’t do it in a single bound.
They plan. They practice. They consider options. They gather skills and supplies. They learn from others’ experience and expertise.
And then they show up at the bottom of the mountain and start, one step at a time, up the slope.
One step at a time. Focused on just the next step toward the top, and not on the top itself.
What if you thought smaller about your BIG goals?
Because here’s the thing: that BIG goal is wayyyy out there in the future, and it’s awfully easy to feel like you’re not making progress.
Go ahead and set the BIG goal.
And then look at the next smallest thing you can do to get there. And do it.
This creates a feeling of accomplishment, a quick burst of pride and confidence.
And that gives you the momentum to take the next smallest step. And the next, and the next, and so on.
Then, when you look up, you’ll be a lot closer to your goal.
So think smaller … about your big dreams.