No matter the goal you are trying to achieve-take it slow. Whatever ultimate outcome you desire-break it up into smaller pieces. There are a couple of good reasons to do so. Oftentimes our goals may be large and challenging. This can be overwhelming. So overwhelming, in fact, that it creates discouragement. “This is too hard. Why bother? I’m never going to be able to do this.”
However, turning a single large goal into many smaller ones will create a sense of achievement and reward after the accomplishment of each one. This will enable one to build up momentum (remember that?) and remain motivated while moving onto the next smaller goal.
For instance, let’s say that your goal is to lose forty pounds. That’s your ultimate goal. It may seem a bit daunting. But how about losing five pounds? Or even three pounds? Now, that’s not so bad, is it? Set up these smaller goals and have a plan to achieve each one. With each goal accomplished, you will truly feel wonderful. And why not give yourself a small reward for each little goal you complete. It could be anything- a massage, a new outfit, a special night out, etc. You get the idea. That’s even more motivation.
So, let’s learn from those tiny infants. When they’re trying to figure out how to walk, they don’t go straight from crawling to walking around the house. They stand and fall. Take a step and fall. Cruise. Take a step on their own and fall. Two steps and fall. Three, four-fall down. Then, suddenly they can walk across the room! And they did it in baby steps. Just as we should.