One of my all-time favorite movies is “What About Bob?” If you’ve never seen it and want to laugh, do yourself a favor and find it somewhere. This wonderful comedy made me a big believer in the concept of taking baby steps and congratulating ourselves along the way. Yay Me!
In our world of instant gratification; i.e., Google, I think that the concept of patience has suffered. We want everything now, and when that doesn’t happen, we sometimes get frustrated. Wouldn’t it make more sense to develop a strategy? What would it look like if, instead of getting there faster, we got there better?
Do you have a task looming? Does anything on your horizon overwhelm you? Do you continue to put it off because you don’t want to deal with it?
For me, it’s the dual messes of my Word files and my Gmail inbox. And since I’m a proven flight risk for New Year’s Resolutions, I tend to use Mondays to set small, doable goals for myself. I’ve been breaking down the clean-up of my Word files, one letter of the alphabet at a time. It’s not scary because it’s minimal. Baby steps. Yay Me!
Back in the day when I used to send out holiday cards, rather than devote an entire Saturday afternoon to writing them, addressing the envelopes, and then finding time to go to the post office, I divided the task into four increments. Baby steps. Yay Me! And now, when I begin to feel overwhelmed about writing my weekly blog because Wednesday mornings seem to creep up faster and faster, I try to at least get a concept or a title in the works over the weekend. Baby steps. Yay Me!
Whether you’re embarking upon a plant-based diet, or training for a marathon, whether you’re cleaning out the garage, or going back to school, whether you’ve just joined a gym, or started a book club, diving in head-first isn’t necessarily the best plan. Instead, I’m suggesting that we look at taking a smaller portion of a larger objective. If the concept of losing 50 pounds seems like it’ll take years, think about how long it might take to lose five pounds. After you’ve taken that baby step, congratulate yourself and then try for the next five. Getting organized by tackling one pile, one drawer, or one closet is a definite baby step. And if you’re dreaming about getting a better job, but are stalled by your lack of a college degree, think about what a baby step would look like. Maybe one online course next semester will turn into two courses the semester after that.
To most of us, the concept of change can be challenging. It also can be overwhelming. Baby steps will propel us forward at a patient, deliberate, and comfortable pace. Baby steps will allow us to appreciate and applaud our minor victories.
That’s why my blog posts are always less than 500 words. Yay me!
