How do you eat an elephant?

The answer: One bite at a time. One thing I see that is pretty universal when it comes to not taking action is the overwhelmed feeling. I've been feeling it myself – as my business starts to grow and my network continues to expand, it gets to the point where it is easier to just curl up with what is comfortable and what you know. Today I want to discuss how I deal with it and continue to move forward.

The simple fact is that people hate change and the unknown. Why wouldn't they? If you know something and are comfortable with it, even if it is something bad, it is “better” than the unknown and all the scary things that can bring. The old saying is that the devil you know is better than the one you don't. Here is a little secret: change is the only constant in life (Heraclitus). So rather than being afraid and reacting to change, take the lead and happen to something. If you become comfortable with the uncomfortable (something my boss has been preaching), you will be in a better situation than the other person who isn’t. Why is this important? You’re reading this for some reason. I’m assuming that you want change of some sort in your life. Be the change that you want to be (paraphrase from Gandhi).

Okay, we need to be comfortable with change and dealing with the unknown. How? Well that is why I believe most people struggle with those things. Back to the original question of how to eat and elephant – if you take everything one bite at a time, focusing on the NEXT ACTIONABLE STEP, you will be ahead of most of the crowd. A lot of folks will see the end goal and that is important, but that giant dream is something that can be daunting. How do we get there? Taking the next step on the path. If you can boil everything down to the next single step you have to take, you will have that overwhelmed feeling start to dissipate. If you continually plan and take that next step, you’ll soon realize that you are further down the path and that the goal isn’t so unattainable now, is it?

When you are done reading this, go back to your goals that you set up for yourself. What is the absolute next step you need to take? Is it sending an email to follow up? Is it reading a book? Is it reaching out to someone who can help you? Is it putting in an offer? What you are going to find is that the next step is easier to take on than the entire project at once. Take that next bite.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -Lao Tzu