Small Steps Lead to Leaps and Bounds Improvement Over Time

How do you eat and elephant?

“One small bite at a time” is how that saying goes. Why then as we get older do we expect things to be different? We pressure ourselves to become an expert in short periods of time or to instantly complete large projects.I recently saw a video from Jeff Walker on making small decisions that lead to big outcomes. He makes a strong case for taking the baby steps on a consistent basis in order to achieve the long-term success we are seeking. We deserve to give ourselves credit for the effort over time to deliver what ends up being a big success in our lives.

When is the best time to plant a tree?Twenty years ago

Instead, we need to focus on the question that follows that one -

When is the second best time to plant a tree?Today

Our learning and personal development is no different. We can wish all we want that we had started to learn a new language 10 years ago or that we had studied how to write programming code two years ago when someone offered to send you to a ‘get started with code’ seminar. But we passed on the opportunity because we were too busy at the time. If you still have a need for that skill, start today. you cannot change the past and there is no sense in beating yourself up for what could have been. Instead, make the decision to change that direction today.In Jeff’s video he talks about business owners who didn’t believe they could build their business into something big, but in time with small steps consistently taken, they built successful, sustainable businesses. That can apply to anything we want to do, regardless of how daunting it may seem.In a previous article, I covered breaking projects into smaller chunks to help make the project feel more achievable. Your own development is no different. Learning new skills or becoming what may be considered an expert in a subject area takes time, practices, and perseverance. But most importantly, it requires starting. Take that first step to begin the process. Set small milestones along the way and celebrate at each of them to see the progress you are making. Time becomes the multiplier that turns your small steps into leaps and bounds of learning.What first step will you take in something new you want to learn or accomplish? Share your thoughts in the comments section.Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash