One Small Step at a Time

Apparently this week’s theme is looking back over the last year.  As I once again think about what’s happened over the course of the last year.

Just over a year ago I hired a life coach to help me answer the infamous question “What do I want to be when I grow up?” A lot has changed in the last year. For one, I had to accept that although conventional wisdom tells you to do what you love, no one was going to pay me money to watch YouTube videos all day (and I’d probably quickly tire of it).

Anyway, a lot has changed for me in the last year. I decided to become a life coach and started training. I left a job (well, really a family) that I had for basically eight years and started my own business. And then I completed my life coach training and turned my focus completely to being a full-time life coach. While it fits in a few sentences, it feels like a lot, right?

Well, yes and no. There’s a funny thing about big changes: they generally don’t happen all at once. Looking back, it looks and feels like a lot. But really, change happens one small step at a time. Yes, some steps are bigger and scarier than others (like quitting a job), but I was surprised to look back and see what I’ve accomplished over the last year.  Most steps didn’t feel huge and scary because they were small steps toward a larger goal.

The point of telling this story is to ask you: what changes have you not made because they feel big and scary?

Take it one small step at a time. And find someone to help you through it.  This could be a close friend you really trust, a family member, someone in your faith community or someone you hire. And remember, generally life changes one minute at a time and in small steps. Look up at where you want to be and put your focus on the next small step to take you there.

So, what changes (or tasks even) are you avoiding because they feel big and scary?