My tagline is "Baby Steps to Big Results." There's a good reason for this. First of all, most changes happen as a process. Nature is our biggest teacher in this lesson. I'm ready for summer, but the trees still look bare to me. Yesterday I decided to check out one of the branches to see if I could find any visible sign of change. Sure enough, upon close examination, I noticed all the branches have the beginnings of little buds. If you didn't get up close and pay attention, then you would miss it....signs of the blooms coming after months of dormancy. Some processes take place more quickly than others. Many things that appear to have changed overnight actually came from an "invisible" process that was taking place behind the scenes....happening all along. We just didn't notice.
Secondly, more often than not, people set a goal but quit far too early because they don't see results fast enough. Without any so-called "real" results, they can't sustain their actions. I talked about the biggest reason for this in Arrow Tip #47 regarding BEING vs. DOING. Go back and read this tip for more context.
Even changing your mindset is a process. In my opinion, this is the highest goal one can aspire to because your state of mind affects EVERY SINGLE thing you do. It's the driving force behind your behavior, decisions, moods, life experiences, and so forth. This is why I decided if there was one thing I was going to MASTER in this world, it was going to be my mind. With that, I knew I could impact everything else in my life powerfully and positively.
If you want big results in any area, taking baby steps is a phenomenal way to ensure success because PROGRESS USUALLY TAKES PROCESS. Let me explain what baby steps mean to me...
1. Baby steps are small. This means making small changes heading in the direction you want to go. If it's a big change you're trying to make, then the distance from point A to point B might be quite far. You may run out of steam before getting there. Baby steps make moving in the right direction much easier to do. This helps keep your motivation and energy levels high as you move forward toward your end result. The next thing you know...you're there! You did it!
Examples: Rather than waiting until you have a free hour to get to the gym, commit to doing some form of exercise 10 minutes per day... every day. Don't put off learning something new or consuming "nutritious brain food" for one reason or another; instead, commit to reading five pages of a good book per night NOW. If you want to live healthier, don't try to completely revamp your whole lifestyle in one day; instead, commit to cutting one "bad" food out of your diet every week until your eating habits change.
2. When a baby falls, it's a short distance to the floor...and much less painful! When we adults take a tumble, we fall further and hit harder. Studies show that one of the most motivating factors driving human behavior is the avoidance of pain. Sometimes we won't even take a step if we think it will be too painful. Taking baby steps towards change can remove this obstacle.
3. Babies get back up when they fall. They also don't whine and complain about how they're not seeing any results or getting anywhere fast. They get back up and try again until they get where they want to go. And if they do cry, their outburst generally lasts about 10 seconds then they forget about it. Next thing you know, they're focused on something else again. By the way...they ALSO don't beat themselves up for falling down. They enjoy what they're doing for the sake of doing it, which inevitably leads to them going from point A to point B.
A few weeks ago, I found some videos of my kids when they were little. I watched as I encouraged them to walk when they were learning. With my arms outstretched at a distance of about 3 feet away, they took their first steps toward me. When they fell into my arms... accomplishing the task...you would think they'd just won a Gold Medal in the Olympics. I exploded with joy, clapping my hands with enthusiasm!! They laughed and then promptly started the whole process again without batting an eye. Each time I would move a little further away, they would progress. Of course, in time, they could go anywhere they wanted to. And guess what? Even taking little baby steps, these guys can move!! Ask any parent of a toddler!! I can't tell you how many times I ran after one of mine, wondering how they got so far so fast on those little legs!!
Having the destination in mind is critical. I've given Arrow Tips about how to rehearse your desired outcome mentally. But since most things happen as part of a process, making short-term goals along that path and celebrating them is key to sustainability leading to success.
Example: If you're trying to lose weight and your destination is a number on a scale, don't make that the ONLY goal. That's a process that could take some time. Take baby steps making these the goals to be reached, and see the daily wins achieved by carrying them out. When we feel successful, we stay motivated. Success would be eating a certain amount of calories per day, going to the gym every day, or cutting all refined sugars out. At the end of the day were you successful in taking the baby step? If so, celebrate it. If not, then get back up and try again. Don't quit.
I use a lot of examples that are health and wellness related, but you can use these steps for anything. I made Arrow Tips so people could take baby steps to master their minds and improve their lives. This is a process like anything else. You can become an entirely different version of yourself in relation to any goal or desire you have if you just take one step at a time. Every Arrow Tip has actionable steps to help you move forward. These are baby steps. I look back on my life and see my progress. I can't believe how different I am from when I first started so many years ago. Each year I look at how I've changed, and every year there's more and more depth and evolution to who I am and how I'm experiencing life. These were all baby steps I took. None of it happened overnight. I'm not unique. You can do the same with whatever you want to change about yourself, and as Oprah says...."Live your best life" NOW. Just take one baby step at a time.
ACTION STEPS:
No matter what your desired outcome is, implement some baby steps you can take to lead you towards that destination.
Make each baby step a goal so you can see immediate results and progress. If you took the daily step, you succeeded, which is a win. Celebrate them and watch how these results and successes will keep you motivated.
If you fall down, don't get stuck whining and crying about it. Have your "moment," and then get back up, forget about the fall, and keep on going. In time you will get there....one baby step....one Arrow Tip....at a time.
*Remember: YOU ARE UNSTOPPABLE!
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