My writing career is a prime example of this. My commitments don’t allow me the luxury of writing full time. Because of this, I write a lot of my novels and short stories using wasted time. Time at the barbers, time at the supermarket, time in the gym or time commuting. I carry my notebook, and my mobile phone everywhere and these two tools allow me to work wherever I am. The common denominator with writing like this is that these moments that I’ve fished out of
the wastepaper basket are just as I’ve described them; moments. Five minutes, twenty minutes or thirty minutes if I’m lucky. I know that all these elements will be woven into the novel and some might even make the final cut. It doesn’t matter though because I know every time I scribble something in my notebook or tap at my mobile phone, I get one step closer to finishing my novel. I’m amazed by it, but such is the power of small steps.
Let’s say, you break down your bigger goal into several smaller goals. The magic doesn’t happen when you achieve the first goal. Or the second. Or the tenth. Or the last. The magic doesn’t depend on which of the smaller goal you hit. The magic lies in the process of hitting those more modest goals. Everyday. Forever. One thing to note is that the small steps game requires patience and confidence in your talents. If you doubt your capabilities, you will not continue
to do what you must do every day, forever.
Because that is what is required.
I wiser woman than I could ever be - my Mom always reminded me to take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves. As always Mom intuitively knew the secret to achievement. Little did I know she was passing on a vital piece of the life puzzle to me. Thankfully, now I understand.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Lao Tzu
