You can achieve anything -- just do it step by step.
If success were easy, everyone would be successful in their chosen field. Sadly, most people avoid much of the "hard" work needed to reach their vision.
Why is work seen as “hard”? It’s usually because we intimidate ourselves. We imagine the entire project and how daunting it is. Or we try to take steps that are too big, and therefore, stretch ourselves too much, causing ourselves too much stress.
We don't realize that we are the ones stopping ourselves.
So when we meet resistance along the way, we turn to the easy stuff we already know, which aren’t the things that are most worthwhile. We keep delaying our most important work.
Yet here is the truth -- step by step, we can get almost anywhere we want to go!
Nothing is too difficult, if you are willing to take the baby steps forward.
“Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” --Martin Luther King, Jr.
For any project -- no matter how large -- you can always "chunk it down" to bite-sized pieces. The key is to keep moving forward.
An inspiring example is Naveen Jain — who has created a company that will take humans back to the moon in the next few years. He’s not a rocket scientist. But step by step, he learned what was necessary. Step by step, he did the outreach to find the right connections to the needed technicians and financiers. Now, the moon is within his reach.
What is your moonshot? What vision really excites you?
Believe this: step by step, you can get to your moon, whatever your vision is.
However, don't just sit there dreaming about your “moon”. Focus instead on the next doable steps. When you are tempted to give up, you’ve forgotten that step by step will get you there. You may simply need to rest a little while, and ask for support.
Consider these steps for achieving anything…
STEP 1. Write down your inspiring vision.
STEP 2. Brainstorm and write down the steps needed to get there. The steps don't have to be in order. They don’t have to be accurate either. Simply write down the steps you understand now.
Why it's important to write down the steps instead of trying to remember it: The human brain naturally thinks about the obstacles and dangers to action. If you try to make progress without looking at a doable next step, it's easy to be scared of taking action. Write down the small, very doable steps and focus on each one.
STEP 3. Based on your current understanding, re-order the steps you’ve brainstormed and written down. What do you think needs to come first, second, third?
STEP 4. Now, notice if there is any large gap between the steps. Does any step scare you? That means you need to brainstorm smaller, more doable steps that can fill that gap.
A doable step doesn't take long to do, and is often a “visible” action. For example, "brainstorm ideas" is not visible, but "write down 3 ideas" is visible, as in, you can clearly see when you have done it.
Whenever you get stuck, you always have options...
STEP 5. Take the next doable step, knowing that as you take action, more clarity will be revealed.
Imagine that you’re driving to another city. You don’t focus your eyes on that distant city. Instead, you focus on the road in front of you. Similarly, by continuously doing the next doable step, you’ll eventually complete your project.
As you take each step...
As you take each step, remember your higher Truth, and embody that as you move forward.
Mantras that help me…
“Step by Joyful Step...”
“Step by Gentle Step...”
“Love and Gratitude for this next Step...”
"I don’t have to know what the right order is… as I take another step, more clarity will be revealed."
"Action creates momentum."
"Action creates confidence."
If you learn to enjoy each step, you make the work more fulfilling. Through enjoyment, you are more likely to keep taking the action that gets you all the way to the result… to your moon.
Yet here is the truth -- step by step, we can get almost anywhere we want to go!
Nothing is too difficult, if you are willing to take the baby steps forward.
“Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” --Martin Luther King, Jr.
For any project -- no matter how large -- you can always "chunk it down" to bite-sized pieces. The key is to keep moving forward.
An inspiring example is Naveen Jain — who has created a company that will take humans back to the moon in the next few years. He’s not a rocket scientist. But step by step, he learned what was necessary. Step by step, he did the outreach to find the right connections to the needed technicians and financiers. Now, the moon is within his reach.
What is your moonshot? What vision really excites you?
Believe this: step by step, you can get to your moon, whatever your vision is.
However, don't just sit there dreaming about your “moon”. Focus instead on the next doable steps. When you are tempted to give up, you’ve forgotten that step by step will get you there. You may simply need to rest a little while, and ask for support.
Consider these steps for achieving anything…
STEP 1. Write down your inspiring vision.
STEP 2. Brainstorm and write down the steps needed to get there. The steps don't have to be in order. They don’t have to be accurate either. Simply write down the steps you understand now.
Why it's important to write down the steps instead of trying to remember it: The human brain naturally thinks about the obstacles and dangers to action. If you try to make progress without looking at a doable next step, it's easy to be scared of taking action. Write down the small, very doable steps and focus on each one.
STEP 3. Based on your current understanding, re-order the steps you’ve brainstormed and written down. What do you think needs to come first, second, third?
STEP 4. Now, notice if there is any large gap between the steps. Does any step scare you? That means you need to brainstorm smaller, more doable steps that can fill that gap.
A doable step doesn't take long to do, and is often a “visible” action. For example, "brainstorm ideas" is not visible, but "write down 3 ideas" is visible, as in, you can clearly see when you have done it.
Whenever you get stuck, you always have options...
- Go to a supportive online group and ask people what steps they would put into that gap. Be sure to give them context by sharing what steps you've already brainstormed. If you are shy, privately ask a friend or mentor.
- Give it a rest and come back in a little while, and you'll be surprised that you have new / better ideas than before. This is your brain's "diffused mode" at work. Your subconscious mind is working on the problem while your conscious mind is doing other things.
- Or use both options above: post the question, then come back the next day to add your own ideas to the thread! That way, everybody who is interested in that topic can benefit from it.
STEP 5. Take the next doable step, knowing that as you take action, more clarity will be revealed.
Imagine that you’re driving to another city. You don’t focus your eyes on that distant city. Instead, you focus on the road in front of you. Similarly, by continuously doing the next doable step, you’ll eventually complete your project.
As you take each step...
As you take each step, remember your higher Truth, and embody that as you move forward.
Mantras that help me…
“Step by Joyful Step...”
“Step by Gentle Step...”
“Love and Gratitude for this next Step...”
"I don’t have to know what the right order is… as I take another step, more clarity will be revealed."
"Action creates momentum."
"Action creates confidence."
If you learn to enjoy each step, you make the work more fulfilling. Through enjoyment, you are more likely to keep taking the action that gets you all the way to the result… to your moon.
Share this article with your fellow visionaries!
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www.GeorgeKao.com/Blog/StepByStep
All of George's Kao's free content is in and for the Creative Commons. Share or use in any way!
