Day 5

Take A Few Baby Steps Toward Your Big Goals

 

Big goals can be scary. It doesn’t matter if it’s losing a significant amount of weight, paying off a large chunk of  credit card debt, or changing careers. When we look at those big goals, we can start to feel intimidated. We put off working towards them because we either don’t know where to start, or because the task simply seems too daunting. Today we’re going to tackle that issue and start making progress.

The key to reaching any goal, no matter how big or lofty, is to get started.  Baby steps are fine. You can reach any goal and make any change if you consistently take small steps towards it. My goal for you today is to motivate and inspire you to take a those first small steps towards your big goal.

The best part is that you don’t have to have every single thing worked out in order to get started.  You don’t need to know exactly what you’ll have to do at every point along the way. You don’t need to come up with a plan to pay off your entire credit card debt. You don’t have to work out how exactly you’ll lose all of those extra pounds you’ve gained. You don’t need to know what it will take to buy your dream home. And you don’t need to know everything there is to know about opening and running your own bakery or any other business you might have dreamed of setting up.

Think about those baby steps; once the first one is taken, the next ones come more easily. When the baby falls down, they don’t stay down, and they don’t give themselves a hard time because they missed their footing.

Today is all about finding the confidence to get started and making a little bit of progress. This gets you over that initial hurdle and builds momentum. It will also help you to realise that you can find a way round the rest as you go. Oh, and by the way, you’re not looking for perfection.

Are you ready to take those first few steps right now? If you’re not, that’s ok too. It’s not something to feel guilty about.

When you are ready, start by looking at your big goal, the changes you want to make, or what you want to get out of life. Be clear about the end result you want, and keep a sharp image of it in your heart and mind. Make sure you have a good idea of the direction you want to head in and a clear picture of your destination. At this point, it’s fine to simply decide that you want to lose some weight and improve your health, or pay off those credit cards and student loans to give yourself some financial breathing space. Ultimately you will have to fine tune the details, but not right now. So, have you got that goal in mind? Great!

Now come up with one or two little things you can do today that start you off in the right direction. Don’t forget, it doesn’t matter how small those steps are. They may seem insignificant when you look at the big picture, but they will quickly add up. Most importantly, they get you started.

Let’s look at a few examples of what those baby steps may look like.

If your goal is improving your health and losing weight, you might start by taking a 10 minute walk each day, or replacing fizzy drinks with sparkling water. Maybe it’s trying some new healthy recipes and getting into the habit of eating a salad or steamed veggies with two meals per day. If the goal is to save money or pay off debt, it could be to have £20 per month auto transferred into a savings account or just to squirrel away your change. Or maybe it’s going through bills and cutting out some monthly extras such as magazine or other subscriptions or taking a packed lunch to work instead of buying a sandwich. You’ll soon find you’re saving a few pounds and  can start applying them towards your financial goal. If you want to change careers or start your own business, research online what you need to do and sign up for a course, or find someone to talk to who’s already done what you want to do. You may find they’re happy to mentor you. In short, do something today – any little thing – that will move you in the right direction. And don’t feel bad about doing it.