This is why the best productivity tools are the ones that force you to split up big goals into tiny doable steps.
Doable means that it’s clear what you need to do and it’s possible to do it.
Here are 2 ways to make sure your tasks are doable:
1. If you were to hand over this task to a very uncreative carboncopy hologram of yourself… the job would get done.
And let’s face it, there will be many times when you will feel like an uncreative carboncopy hologram of yourself and you just want someone to tell you what to do. Well, that’s when you’ll discover if your goals have clear steps that you can actually do, or not.
2. You create doable steps by making do with the tools, resources and abilities you have right now.
If you are thinking something like this: “I have this big amazing idea! But to make it work I will first need to get a bunch of amazing people involved, and I’ll need an amazing website, and I need to get a lot of publicity and and and…” then chances are, your big idea will never get off the ground. There are just too many Needs to Happen First Things.
If you have a worthwhile idea, then you can launch it on blogger.com, or start doing it by yourself or with that one friend who is interested. You can write your own publicity. You can host a small event at your local library or on meetup.com. If what you want to do is truly meaningful, then the small doable version will be meaningful too, and that’s where you need to start.
But what if you want to go big or go home?
If you’re only interested in the big fancy version then my gut says, it’s not really about the work and the idea and the impact it will have… it’s about status, success and acquiring a certain look, dressed up as “wanting to impress have a meaningful impact on a lot of people”
This may be because you have a secret wish to be the star of the show and you’re trying to get there in a complicated way. (My advice? Own your true desire! Find ways to just become the star of a show, without having to create that show from scratch).
You may also feel the need to go big from the get go if you have a lot of insecurities about “measuring up” . Having something big that you’re running, would validate your ideas and perspective – or so you think.
The reality is, any initiative comes with insecurities, and to start, you will be the lone founder, standing there by yourself saying: “this is meaningful!” to an empty room.
The point is not to get that room filled first. The point is to have the guts and drive to stand in that room, and keep standing there, until someone else peeps their head through the doorway and wonders what you’re doing. That’s how all attention for your cause will start. It starts with you standing there, pointing at something, that other people don’t see yet.
That’s why a big change is just a bunch of tiny changes.
All those steps individually don’t seem like much. They probably don’t seem big enough to mean anything or amount to anything. Yet, without your willingness to take the tiny steps, the big steps won’t happen. A big change is just a bunch of tiny changes put together.
You need to have fun with – and find meaning in – the small steps.
If you enjoy the small steps, without worrying too much about what they will or will not lead to, you’ll be o.k. Yet, if taking small steps makes you antsy because you want to know when big things will finally happen, then you probably won’t get very far.
If people are pushing you to go bigger, and the underlying message is “bigger is more meaningful”, I’d take their pushes with a grain of salt. Bigger is just bigger. Essentially, you’re still doing the same thing.
P.S. Do you want to get started with your business a.s.a.p, no matter how tiny the first step? I can help! Set up a Biz Clarity Call with me or take a look at my bigger programmes if you’re serious about creating a sensitive business that works. Saying YES to your vision by scheduling time to work out the details, is a great way to get the ball rolling, you’ll see.
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