Do you ever wonder how you can more readily take steps towards some big goal you have? Everyone dreams big to a certain extent. It is what we do with those big dreams that make the difference in the world. By reverse engineering these dreams, we can work backward from them and provide a series of small wins that contribute to the momentum needed to succeed in our bigger goals.
This is an easy concept I love to talk about because it has so much of a positive impact when you really apply it in your life.
When we think of great achievements, sometimes we wonder how anyone ever accomplished such a feat. All we see is the accumulation of great ideas, consistent work, and a very long series of small successes that added up to be something massive.
That is what is important to realize - it is all the little things that add up to make something great.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
A strong, lean body takes years to fully sculpt.
Successful businesses very rarely show a profit early on...
Anything worthwhile is going to take time and energy to create. And it is this time and energy that makes the accomplishment so much more gratifying. Anyone who has ever put in the work to achieve something understands this paradigm.
So that leads me to discussing this idea of building your momentum with small wins. Very easy to follow.
First, determine what it is that you want. The ultimate picture. What does it look like? How do you feel when you have it? Visualize this, and paint this image as vividly as possible in your mind. From there, backtrack. What kind of things are required before your reach that pinnacle of achievement? Perhaps you have to build a relationship with someone who is in the field you want to get into. Maybe you need to join a club, or read a book, or take a class.
Think back on other big accomplishments you've had in your life and compare those timelines and events to the reverse engineering you will be doing here. Use a similar pattern or approach based on what you've done in the past.
Once you've got the major accomplishment broken down into smaller segments that lead up to the goal, it is time to break down further into a daily objectives list.
What is one thing you can do every day that will take you anywhere closer to the ultimate goal?
Write that on a sticky note. Put it somewhere where you will see it daily, and remind yourself of it. Maybe your ultimate goal is to start a company, and you've decided the first thing you should do is read a book on opening a business. Read 20 pages daily. Maybe you want to lose fat and gain lean muscle mass, your reminders could be to remain disciplined on diet and stay consistent on your gym routine.
Whatever it is, remind yourself on a daily basis that there is at least one thing you can do to carry you towards your destination.
Now you have daily steps outlined. The last thing you should do is create positive habits which feed indirectly into the primary goal we identified. Remember - small wins = big successes. Your brain works in strange ways, any small achievement creates a stronger likelihood to remain disciplined for the more difficult tasks.
A good example of this is how people feel so great for the day after going for a short jog or having some sort of exercise early in the morning. This enables them to be higher achievers for that day, simply because they've unlocked their mind's potential for tackling more. All of a sudden, the problems and issues of the day become a bit less difficult due to the priming of their brain early on - accomplishing a small win in the early hours of rising.
Use various positive and motivating habits that are basically mindless and very easy to do such as brushing your teeth first thing upon rising, making the bed, laying out clothes for the day, or getting on the ground and banging out a set of push-ups. Anything to make you feel more accomplished, and the more of it the better.
Try to add value anywhere you can to your morning. Things like journaling about how you envision your day to go, you might find this adds incredible direction and momentum into your efforts. Smiling early on and simply reminding yourself to be thankful for what you have, enables you to embrace what you've got and stokes the fire within.
As you begin to do this more and more often, celebrate these small successes and remind yourself how every little thing is adding up to fill your sail with a powerful wind. Soon your ship will be cruising along with incredible momentum, and as you outline your daily objectives and envision your goals you are no longer doubtful of your ability - you are filled with a mounting passion for life and achievement. The mountains that seemed too far away and too tall to climb will be exciting challenges to face when you realize that the climbing gear is within your being and all you need to do is start pulling yourself up one small step at a time.
Good luck on your journey. Happy Monday everyone!
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