One Step at a Time

Why do so many people never achieve their goals? Well, it's because they're lazy.

But the other main reason is that you are too damn focused on Step 19 when you haven't even started on Step 1 yet.

Picture this:

You're a lumberjack, and you have to cut down a small forest of the course of a month. You look at the forest and think, "Holy flapjacks! That's a lot of trees! I don't know if I can cut all of them... This is too much. I quit."

Because you were too busy imagining the whole process instead of the next step, you accomplished nothing.

Imagine if you had just started on chopping down the first tree. Then, the second. The third. And so on, until you finished. You would've actually finished that huge project!

Same goes for people who think meditation is too hard. You think of the monks who meditate for 3 hours at a time, and then you never even start. Just think about the first minute of meditation, and go on from there.

Or think of the gym. If you think you need to do 405lb deadlifts or handstands your first day there, you'll never even get to the warmup. Just show up. Stretch. Learn from there.

Yes, you will eventually have to do Step 27, but you'll be aided by the experience you gained by doing Steps 1-26. If you think about having to do Step 27 right away, of course you'll be overwhelmed. That's not how you're supposed to do it! Tackle each step one at a time.

How many more goals are you going to abandon just because you're worried about the later steps?

Check this out:

• Find or create a list of what needs to be done.

• DO NOT look down the list and make yourself nervous.

• Look at Step 1. Do it.

• Look at Step 2. Do it.

• Repeat.

Is it as simple as that? Yes, it is. Do you think I could've gotten a job in Identity & Access Management right off the bat? No! I first had to learn how many categories of Ethernet cables there are (for some reason).

Moral of the story: Follow the damn instructions! In order!

If you've ever restarted an abandoned goal, and succeeded, share that win with me!