How do you run a marathon? By taking one small step forward at a time.
Sounds obvious, right? But remembering that the completion of a large endeavor takes thousands of small steps forward helps us reframe our thinking on goal setting.
Why do we set New Year’s resolutions in every area of our lives expecting a complete overhaul of our actions? Why do we go on diets restricting ourselves as much as possible only to have our schedules or lack of willpower derail us?
Does that mean we shouldn’t set big goals and dream of big change? No, we want to be people who grow and improve our health and our lives. But how do we dream big but also focus on the thousands of steps it takes to get to our goal?
In his book, The One Thing, Gary Keller refers to a “focusing question.” It goes, “What’s the one thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will become easier or unnecessary?”
What’s the ONE thing you can do this morning to ensure you eat a healthy dinner? What’s the ONE thing you can do this week to ensure you get your run in this Saturday? What’s the ONE plan you can make to help calm your mind when stress at work builds? What’s the ONE thing you can do this evening to get to bed on time tonight?
Once you have your ONE thing, do that thing repeatedly and watch your food choices improve, your exercise habit build, your anxiety reduce, and your energy grow.
Set a big goal but break it down, then break it down again until you have ONE thing you CAN do today to move closer to that goal. Focus on one small step forward at a time and you’ll be closer to your goal tomorrow than you were today.