Learning the hard way to choose the easier way

When thinking about moving toward an important goal, I’ve learned from author, life coach, and ACE founder Maria Nemeth to ask myself, “What is one small, sweet, doable step I can take next?”

I really love the sound of those words: small sweet doable steps.

When I hear it that way, my brain is much more able to consider a realistic next step, and I am much more likely to follow through with taking it.

If you’re like me—if you’re like most people—you probably make it harder than it needs to be.

Most of us have all kinds of inner chatter that keep us from taking action and make it seem daunting when it doesn’t have to be.

But one small, sweet, doable step? Sure! You can take one of those!

Of course, you can! Because when you hear it that way, something shifts.

What makes the difference?

Let’s break it down.

Small:

When looking at a goal, you may, without realizing it, expect yourself to take huge steps that feel like huge steps because you think that will give you the sense that you’re making progress.

However, that way of thinking may actually make your goal appear harder to reach because you think the steps must be big and difficult!

And since big and difficult steps are, well, big and difficult, you’re more likely to stall out.

Sweet:

Wow! That makes it sound like it could even be enjoyable! If you believe in “no pain, no gain,” then “sweet” could be a radical, maybe even uncomfortable, possibility for you to consider. But if you really think about it, wouldn’t it be great to enjoy the process of attaining your goal just as much as achieving it?

And aren’t you more likely to actually take the step if had sweetness in it, rather than if it hurts?

Finding enJOYment makes the whole thing feel more like play! And play is FUN, and we want to do MORE OF IT!

Doable:

This is key. A lot of people bite off more than they can chew. What happens when you bite off more than you can chew? You choke!

You don’t finish the task. You get discouraged. You feel like you’ve failed because you expected yourself to make a longer leap than was realistically doable.

You may even stop taking more steps.

If you can say, “Yes, I can do that,” with confidence that it is well within your reach, then you’re more likely to do it and follow through. It sets you up for success. You may even find yourself taking another small sweet doable step as a result!

Climbing Mt. Everest

You may dismiss small steps as not making a difference because they’re not getting you there fast enough and quickly enough to make a difference.

Consider this: how do you think those who have climbed to the top of Mt. Everest got there?

One step at a time. And if the steps were small, sweet, and doable, then I imagine they enjoyed the journey as well as the view from the top!