“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao-tzu. Verse 64, The Tao te Ching.
The wisdom of this ancient saying rings true even today.
Especially today. With life being as hectic as it can possibly be and distractions constantly pulling us away to command our attention. We look at our dreams and aspirations and suddenly they seem so far away. Just a construct of our most cherished desires. And life happens to us.
But amidst all the busy work, we can come back to this present moment. And take a small step towards our most cherished aspiration or dream. Just one small step. Now it may not always be clear what the one small step should be. And that is exactly where so many fine dreams come to be put aside for a short time. But we know how that usually ends.
So take a small step into the great big unknown. It does not have to be the right step or the perfect one. Just one small action towards your genius aspiration. Something you have always wanted to do but put away for sunnier days. You do not need to quit everything else that you have been doing so far.
Guess what? The sun is shining strong on your genius right now. Yes, this very moment. So take one little step right away. As we take small steps towards our genius aspirations, towards our most cherished dream, the path and journey begin to materialize. Just begin on your greatest and wildest dream that you have always wanted to launch but were afraid to do so.
Certainly there will be novelty and excitement and fear and hesitation. But that is all part of the package.
And all it takes is the willingness to take the first step. Today. Now.
Action plan
- Pick your one most cherished desire or dream you would like to start on.
- Take a small action step towards that desire and make sure it is not something you have done before like just planning and thinking only. For example, if you were planning to launch an online store, take a small step towards that by signing up for for web host or buy some samples to place in your online store for an initial assessment. If you would to write a book or launch an information product, ask friends or your audience for suggestions for topics and products they would like to read from you and so on.
- Input your small steps into a recurring alarm application or into your paper calendar or place sticky notes to remind you regularly to take a small action. Do what works for you.
- When it is time to take the small step, set up a timer for 15 minutes or 30 minutes or whatever works for you and during that time period, only take action on that small step. Do not respond to e-mails and return calls later if you are able to.
- Once you start flexing your small steps muscle, you will get much better at taking action and the momentum will start building.
- Reward yourself for small accomplishments and feel great about yourself.
- Just show up. Repeat. Failure and setbacks are just teachers along the way if you allow them to be that.
What about you? Has taking small steps helped you on your journey?
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