Dream Big, Start Small

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” – George Eliot

We all want to accomplish huge things in life. The yearning for accomplishment is built into us by God. We are made to create, build, to grow and achieve.

We are often afraid to admit these “crazy” dreams for fear of being laughed at. We think “Who am I to accomplish something so great?”

Marianne Williamson’s speaks to this in her poem “Our Deepest Fear” when she writes:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” She continues, “We ask ourselves who am I to brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.”

The first obstacle we must overcome is to become comfortable with our big dreams. To not shy away from those things that are so great they are currently beyond our capabilities. We must become satisfied with the fact that we have no idea how to achieve this thing – right now.

Then, we must take action. A very small action.

That is where we goof it up. I decide I want six-pack abs, buy the P90X DVDs, read the eating plan cover to cover and decide I will look like Tony Horton (but with grey hair) in 90 days. I start strong, then fall off the wagon and go back to my old ways.

The change was too big. I wanted the outcomes, but I wasn’t ready for the work. My calendar couldn’t handle the time requirements and my discipline was not where it needed to be. We get fooled into believing there is a short cut, but there are not any short cuts. All accomplishments require hard work and time.

How can we accomplish great things without falling prey to the yo-yo cycle of dreaming big, starting with a bang, running out of steam and reverting to our old ways?

Start small. Really small.

Studies have proven that the best way to accomplish something big is to establish the daily habits that lead to the bigger goal.

If I want to be fit, I’ve got to eat healthy foods and move more – every day.

If I want to write the great American novel, I must write – every day.

Every day? Try for yourself and see. I’ve found that I can take one day off per week and not de-rail my goals, but more than one day and the habit starts to unwind. Besides, accomplishing something that gets you closer to your goals, even on your day off, feels good.

How do we create these habits?

Behavioral psychologists like BJ Fogg and Charles Duhigg have found a 4-step approach that works – if you work it. The steps are:

1. Determine the outcome you desire. This can be anything related to who you want to become. Examples: run a 4-minute mile, write a book, make $10k extra, do 100 pushups.
2. Routine – What is the absolute smallest change you can make that will get you closer to your goal? I didn’t say accomplish your goal. That is too much pressure. We want everything to happen at Amazon or microwave speed. We must trust the process. If we are too outcomes focused, we will get disappointed and quit. Here are some examples:

• Goal: Write a book. Routine: Write daily. Don’t specify a word count. Establish the habit of writing daily or 5 days per week, whatever works for you.
• Goal: Do 100 pushups without stopping. Routine: Do 2 pushups every time I brush my teeth.
• Big Goal: Make $1 million dollars. Smaller Goal: Make $1,000 extra next year. Routine: Make one extra sales call per day.

Notice how small the routines are? Does it feeling like doing two pushups will get you to your goal? No. But, the act of getting on the floor two to three times per day and doing two pushups will lead you to do more and you’ve created a win.

You’ll build momentum (remember the Momentum Indicator) and that momentum will lead to a habit. The habit becomes part of your identity and requires less and less discipline to do – leading you to your desired outcome.

3. Find a Reminder. This is a trigger that you can tie the new habit to. This helps us overcome our discipline deficiencies. It is easy to say, “just do it”. It is much harder to get out of bed and do the work every day until it becomes a habit.

To pick a reminder find something you do every day or that happens every day and tie your routine to it. Doing pushups every time you brush your teeth is an example. Another would be to express gratitude every time you stop at a red light. Find something that already happens in your life and tie your tiny routine to it.

4. Do it. Track it. Celebrate! – Humans are forgetful creatures and we tend to remember things the way we want to.

We can only manage things that we can measure.

In your calendar, Google Sheet, smartphone app, or whatever works for you right down if you did your routine. I love using the Momentum Indicator we discussed last week.

Celebration is another key we cannot forget. Hard work deserves a reward and the rewards keep us motivated. Yours can be as simple as an encouraging word to yourself when you make that sales call or do those pushups. Your reward could also be something more elaborate that you build up to.

Next week, we’ll cover what to do when you fail. Because you will fail and planning for failure is the best way to not let it derail your goals.

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