One (Small) Step at a Time
Progress and success are usually subtly incremental
The beginning of a new year is when people often make resolutions or commitments to improve their work and life. Whether it’s getting in shape, getting a promotion, or taking a dream vacation, we tend to start the year with big hopes and dreams. But by mid-February many of these aspirations have fallen to the wayside and all that remains is feeling discouraged and disappointed.
The problem is usually not the magnitude of the goal, but the plans (or lack thereof) made to achieve it.
When I work with clients, I help them set goals that are small and realistic. While their overall goal is often quite audacious, the benchmarks to get there are much smaller. These incremental steps help stretch them out of their comfort zone while also ensuring they are realistic enough to achieve.
This image is a perfect illustration of the goal-setting process for achieving success:
The ladder on the left may look like more work because there are more rungs to climb. But it’s those smaller incremental steps that will ensure reaching the top. The progress could be slower, but success is almost guaranteed.
The ladder on the right may appear easier because of fewer steps, but the person at the bottom can’t even reach the first rung because it’s just out of their current reach. In order to get to that first rung, they will have to do something that may be completely out of their capacity to achieve based on their current abilities.
Dream big; set audacious goals for yourself. Then break them down into steps you can start achieving right away. Success breeds success. With every new level you reach, you’ll look back and realize how you’ve grown and achieved things that once seemed unreachable. As the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race.
As you make your 2023 goals, consider what small steps you can take every day to help you reach the next rung on the ladder. If the next rung seems out of reach, break it down into a smaller step that is achievable, given your current circumstances and abilities.
If you need some extra support, please contact me by responding directly to this newsletter or emailing me. Working with a coach can help you determine the proper distance between rungs so that by the end of 2023, you’ll have reached the top of your ladder of success.
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.”
--Mark Twain
Work happy. Live happy. BE happy.
Meredith
The way we work and build teams is rapidly changing. Leaders often feel unprepared to navigate the transition. As a conscious leadership coach, consultant, and communicator, Meredith helps leaders and their teams create new ways of working and relating so they can prepare for the future by consciously co-creating it.
Contact her to develop your conscious leadership and transform your organization into the workplace of the future.
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