Sometimes I have a very hard time following through with goals that I set for myself. I know that this is pretty much because of one thing. I look too far ahead.
I think it is good and necessary to have some sort of a vision of the future for when a task is completed and to visualize the final product. But when I can’t break it down into the baby steps that are needed to get there, it becomes overwhelming, hard to keep up with, and I end up giving up.
I read a book to my daughter before bed the other night called Begin at the Beginning. The book was about a girl who was given an assignment by her teacher to paint the most wonderful painting ever for a school fair coming up. Talk about pressure! The girl was paralyzed. She was going to paint the universe and wanted it to be spectacular, but she didn’t know where to begin. She was picturing the earth and stars and all the people and everything that makes up the world, which left her too overwhelmed to complete the painting. Crumpled pieces of paper filled her floor.
Finally, she talked to her mother who wisely said for her to “begin at the beginning”. Start with her world and what she sees in front of her instead of starting with the whole universe. So the girl sat in her room at her desk and began to paint. The painting began with a single solitary tree that stood outside her window.
With any goal, by breaking it down into smaller pieces makes it more manageable. Whether it’s a financial goal, a weight loss goal, an exercise goal, or just a goal of getting the house clean, the same method can be used to make it easier to start, continue toward, and ultimately reach the place you visualize. Start with what is right in front of you and you’re sure to create something beautiful.
Thanks for your comments, ladies!
@Sharon J, it is easier to work on weight gain or loss in smaller increments. Like you say, it’s better to focus on the progress than that the goal is yet to be reached.
@ Marelisa, why yes, that was a good way of putting my verbal vomit into one line! I need you as my editor!
@lobotoME, I used to be go big or go home, but for me, I found that I was missing out on a lot of things instead of enjoying the process. By taking baby steps and starting small, I definitely find myself accomplishing more, trying new things and finding new joys.
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This is a great post Emily! And, it’s amazing sometimes the knowledge we can gain from children’s books, isn’t it?
It’s easy to look at what the end result will be, and get overwhelmed on how to get there. A few years ago, I had reached that state where I had gained way too many pounds. I kept failing at losing any weight because I would always look to the end result and get derailed because it just seemed so far away to get to that point. Then one day, I finally told myself that I just need to start by losing a pound. And that’s what got the ball rolling for me. And one pound led to many. And now I have been at a weight that I am happy with for the last three years. But, again, I wouldn’t have gotten there without breaking this into small, manageable steps.
And this happens in other areas of my life as well. So this is just a great reminder to “begin at the beginning”. Thank you.
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@ Hank, I tend to be the same way with my blogging. Brain dump then go backwards, a lot like Avani-Mehta said, and reach my vision by chipping off parts that aren’t needed. I read Writer Dad’s post (a new to me and fun find of a blog!) and agree his approach to writing is similar.
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Hey Emily. Great post. It’s just what I needed to read this afternoon.
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[...] Begin at the Beginning by Remodel This Life was my favourite post of the week. It deals with how hard it is to get things done (and started) and was written in such a nice way. I think I’m going to start putting pictures of flowers into my posts. [...]
[...] Break your goals into manageable steps, and take the first step. – “With any goal, by breaking it down into smaller pieces makes it more manageable. Whether it’s a financial goal, a weight loss goal, an exercise goal, or just a goal of getting the house clean, the same method can be used to make it easier to start, continue toward, and ultimately reach the place you visualize. Start with what is right in front of you and you’re sure to create something beautiful.” – via Remodeling This Life [...]