There’s an old African proverb which goes ‘How to eat an elephant, one bite at a time’. But this of course is not actually about eating elephants.
- It’s about the difference in viewing a project, what ever it may be, as one giant insurmountable object versus manageable individual steps (or bites).
- It’s about the difference between being consumed with the prospect of failing and actually getting started on something.
- It’s about the difference between brainstroming and actual bootstrapping. The brainstormer has lots of ideas but starts none the bootstrapper has an idea and gets started on it.
- It’s about taking joy in the journey versus arriving at the destination.
The key to succeeding at anything is simply to start. If you’re unwilling to start you’ve got no shot. Take the first small step. I does not matter if the step turns out to be in the wrong direction, you’ll correct as you go along. Just take a step.
You can always be 100% certain of the results you’ll get for the things you don’t try
- A runner who does not enter a race has no chance of winning.
- Someone with something to tell the world who won’t start a blog limits her chance of being heard.
- An author can’t finish a book until they write the first word.
Gandhi said “A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step”.
Here’s a great way to teach this principal to children, or adults like me who are child like – learn the lyrics to the Jules Bass song ‘Put One Foot In Front Of The Other‘.
What journey have you been putting off that you can take the first small step towards today?