Think Big, Start Small

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to change the world in a big way. I’ve never been sure where the desire came from, but I’ve always felt it strongly. ​

But something stopped me. I has convinced myself that my goal would take years, lots of money, and perhaps even fame to achieve. 

Overwhelmed by what seemed like a huge, insurmountable task, I became paralyzed by my own accord. I got in my own way before I even had the chance to start. 

What was my problem?

While I was always thinking big, I failed to start small. Those tiny steps seemed like a drop in the bucket, trivial, inconsequential. 

What I forgot in that line of thinking was that even if you think big, you need to smart small. It seems obvious, but you need to do things that feel like only a step in order to accumulate enough of them to go really far. 
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Many people get stuck at step one for this exact reason, because they think it’s an end in itself. 

It’s not.

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Overcome this obstacle by seeing your step one as the first instead of the only. Once you have taken the time to do one thing, however small, it will lead you to more things. Then complex ones. Before you know it, you’re doing those big things your dreamt about. 

It’s not rocket science, it’s psychology. 

If you’re still unconvinced, try working backward. 

Start with the biggest, grandest goal that you want in your legacy. Think of what you want your obituary to say about you. Think about what you want your grandkids will know about your life. Don’t limit yourself here. 

Put that goal on a timeline far out with yearly increments of your life. 

Then, think about what needs to come before that. 
And before that. 
And so on. 

When you arrive to the present, write one realistic step that you can take towards that goal TODAY. Yes, today. 

Let’s say your ultimate goal is to run a nonprofit dedicated toward solving hunger. 
Today’s step is to find the names of three people who work in that industry, and check out their books from the library. 

Remember: it doesn’t matter how small the act seems. If it is leading you toward your goal, it is useful and worthwhile. 

It might be easy to make excuses for not doing big things, but what reason do you have to avoid the small ones?
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So, choose your small thing and get to work. The world is waiting.