You’ve probably heard the advice “think big”. In his classic book The Magic of Thinking Big, author David Schwartz describes how thinking big can help you overcome the fear of failure, achieve your goals, and awaken the creative power within you.
The problem is that big is overwhelming and intimidating. Human
beings instinctively avoid change. When we feel overwhelmed, it’s less
likely we will take action. With this in mind, I want to look at an idea
that in my mind holds equal power: starting small.
It is relatively easy to envision an outcome that results from
thinking big. For example, if I close my eyes I can imagine standing
atop the summit of Mt Everest. The difficulty comes when you think about
the journey – in this case the long trek and dangerous ascent through
the Death Zone. Suddenly, standing atop the summit seems a much harder.
To overcome this problem, start small. As Lao Tzu once said: “A
journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Here are 3 practical
ways you can achieve big outcomes by starting small:
1. It’s About Evolution, Not Revolution
Instead of thinking “I want to lose 20 pounds” or “I want a million
dollars”, try to focus on making small steps towards your goal. Small,
seemingly insignificant accomplishments can snowball into something much
greater. If you can lose 2 pounds, you can lose 20. If you can make one
thousand dollars, you can make one million.
An area I once struggled with was confidence. When you struggle with
confidence it’s extremely hard to imagine yourself becoming confident. I
started to make take small steps in the direction of change: I
practiced speaking up, I began to sit at the front of class, and I
worked on maintaining eye contact. With these types of gradual
improvements, I eventually got to the top of my own personal mountaintop
and can today call myself a confident person.
2. Focus on the Next Action
Those who’ve read David Allen’s productivity bible, Getting Things
Done, will be familiar with the idea of “next actions”. If you haven’t
read this book, the next action is basically the next physical activity
that needs to be done to move a project forward. Focusing on the next
action is a simple and powerful way to overcome procrastination, gain
clarity, and establish accountability. As David writes in his book,
“without a next action, there remains a potentially infinite gap between
current reality and what you need to do.”
3. Think Daily
What are you putting off until tomorrow/next week/next year? Perhaps
it’s something tangible, like calling a friend or spending more time
with your children. Or perhaps it’s something less tangible, such as
happiness or love. If you’re waiting until tomorrow for “something” to
happen, consider this: in so many ways, it’s your days that define your
life. The way you live each day–the words you speak, the thoughts you
think, and the actions you take–are what shape your life and determine
what it will stand for.
Yes, it’s important to plan for tomorrow, but be sure that you’re
making the most of the present. Don’t hold back living your best life
till tomorrow . Start today, because what you do today that will
determine tomorrow.
Peter writes about personal growth and self awareness at The Change Blog. If you enjoyed this article, you may wish to download his free e-book, A Year of Change.
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