The power of small steps.

Based on the book “Habits for Life” by Sean Young

In his book, Sean gives a great example of how he was scared of a huge mountain that he had to climb. His friend gave him great advice: “Forget about the rock - don’t worry about how to get to the top. Don't plan ahead, just think about the next step." This helped Sean overcome his fear and climb to the top.

1. Find the right first step.

The author does not call for giving up dreams and planning, just planning will not bring you closer to the goal - action brings you closer to the goal. Therefore, decide on the first step, and then concentrate on it and put all your strength into achieving it, then the second, third, etc.

2. The ladder principle

When we climb the stairs it can be scary at first - but each new step gives us confidence and reduces fear, the main thing is to concentrate on each step and get into the rhythm.

It’s difficult for us to enjoy small victories, but we can learn this, we need to see our big successes in small steps.

It’s one thing when you plan to lose 10 kg, and another thing to get to the gym today. A big goal is more exciting, but it is more difficult to achieve. If you focus on a big dream, it will be more difficult to achieve it, and it will be easier to slip into passive dreams. The right approach is to focus on the daily steps towards achieving this dream - this way success is more likely to come.

3. Small are tiny

We tend to underestimate our achievements. Our small steps can actually be very big. After all, the magnitude of achievement is subjective. Some people break things down into 3 stages, others into 10.  To distinguish a tiny step, you need to understand that this is something that can be done in a couple of days. Thus, it would take a week to achieve a short-term goal. A long-term goal will require 4 short-term ones, and one that takes more than 3 months is already a dream.

Why does this work?

126 women tried to lose weight in 1.5 months in a study that proves the power of small steps. Women were asked to fill out a questionnaire about how often they thought about the process of switching to a new diet, and how often they simply daydreamed about how great it would be to lose excess weight. The study found that those who dreamed gained weight compared to those who focused on small steps.

People have been shown to value small, immediate rewards more than large, distant rewards.

Use the method of small steps and the principle of the ladder, and you will quickly reach your dream, step by step, goal by goal. To sign up for an online consultation with a psychologist, click the button below.

Take action and you will succeed!