Read the next book. Do the next thing. I don't know about you but I have a tendency, when I set goals, to try to focus on the big picture constantly which generally results in an over-abundance of stress and depression. When I owned my shop several years ago one thing Abbie would say on days when one of us was feeling overwhelmed was "Do the next thing." Such a simple phrase but a good way to keep things in perspective. You don't have to do it all at once. You can't do it all at once.
Friday I was talking to my Dad about goal-setting. He reminded me that one part of successfully reaching your goals is to write them down - and then write out a detailed plan of how you're going to get there. I do that to a certain extent but rarely get as detailed as I know I really should. When you focus on the details, the "next thing" in a goal instead of being overwhelmed and frustrated that you're not as close as you wish you were you can mark the progress you're making. Some goals can take years to reach, such as mine of having a plant nursery. That's not something I can just wake up and do. There's so much to learn, so much to do in preparation. It can feel rather overpowering when I think about it... unless I just zoom in and do the next thing.
It's not even just a matter of large goals like reading 1,000 books or having a thriving greenhouse business. It's the smaller things like creating habits. I hate exercising but I know I need to do it so one of my goals (surprise, surprise!) is to work out regularly. How do I do that? Yes, set a specific goal and know where I want to be in the end but while I'm getting there, just focus on the next thing. I worked out this morning. So all I have to do now is exercise tomorrow. And the same tomorrow.
Just do the next thing and before you know it you'll have climbed a mountain.
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Photo by David Beatz on Unsplash
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