Here we are again, back in lockdown for the second time. Locked away from the outside world, but also locked in with our thoughts. Sounds like the best time to start to own your goals for the future.
I’ve heard friends begin to think about their lockdown goals. I want to learn to bake. To lose 5kg. I want to learn to draw. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problems with goal setting. In fact, I think it’s important to have an endpoint to work towards.
However, I believe a lot of people, including myself, focus on what life will be like once they reach the goal rather than the steps needed to achieve this goal. Today, I’ll be talking about a concept that you own your goals, ‘Tiny Steps’. It has transformed the way I approach goal setting forever.
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I tried to own my goals, but failed
Let’s begin with a failure of mine. One that I encountered when I decided to make this blog. I initially set out to pump out four posts as a week. Some background of myself, I’m currently in the final year of my PhD so I have my fair share of life stresses.
Did I take this into account when I set out my blogging goal? Absolutely not. Why? Because, like all humans, I thought of myself as a protagonist of some epic saga. Apparently, I had forgotten that overwhelming myself with multiple projects always led to an emotional breakdown.
Week 1 of blogging and I managed (barely) to fit two posts into my schedule. By week 2, the stress of writing for both academia and non-fiction was starting to take a toll. I was more irritable. My sleep suffered. I was started to struggle.
I was so close to my breaking point until I had a thought. Who was I trying to impress by releasing two posts a week? My viewership is non-existent at this point. This is purely for my enjoyment.
So, I did something I hadn’t done in a long time. I willingly took the hit to my ego, acknowledging that 1 post a week was my current limit. Afterwards, the unexpected happened, I started to take more pleasure in writing. I didn’t realize it was I was implementing the technique I have now called, Tiny Steps. How does it work? It’s based on three principles.
Take your time when you start
I get it. Once we set a goal, we’re eager to get out of the gate running. We’re excited to get on a new path. But, this hastiness doesn’t always work in our favour. Let’s use an example of a new runner, David.
He decides to take on running as a new lockdown hobby to pass the time. He buys all the best shoes, clothes, etc. Enthusiastic to use his new kit, he decides to go on a run every day and sticks to it relentlessly.
Every morning at 8am, He gets up, laces his shoes and begins his day with a long run. 2 weeks later, he feels demotivated and sluggish. His body aches in places that it has never done before. Nonetheless, he carries on, determined to reach his goal, turning a blind eye to the creeping fatigue.
On his fourth run of that week, he pulls a muscle preventing him from running altogether ending his dream of being a runner. What David didn’t realise is that muscles need time to recover each time they are exercised.
The longer into a running career, we’re talking years here, the more damage a muscle can take before it gets injured. By running every single day as a beginner, David took on more than his body could handle.
His mindset was in the right place, but his plan was flawed. If he had taken his time, followed a 2-3x times a week plan, working his way up, he would have had more success in the long run (no pun intended).
He would have given his body time to adapt, but he was greedy and wanted the long term results as soon as possible. Although David is a fictional character I just made up, his mindset is something most of us have had at some point in our times, just in a different form.
It will take time to own your goals
To drive my point home, let’s have a brief astronomy lesson and look up at the jewel of our solar system, Saturn. Equipped with a breath-taking rings, it’s one of the most visually appealing planets.
However, those rings didn’t just appear, they were shaped and formed over millions of years. One theory claims that they started out as one of Saturn’s moons. As it got closer and closer to the gas giant, the moon was torn apart by the planet.
Unable to escape Saturn’s gravity, the remnants of the moon began to slowly orbit around the planet. After a very long time, a ring structure began to emerge eventually leading to what we can observe today.
A lot of people think of Saturn and immediately think about the rings, not many appreciate the time consuming process that led to the rings forming. It’s truly a beautiful thing. Just like those rings, 1.5 billion km away, every goal we set for ourselves will take time to accomplish. In that time, we must look to learn to cherish the tiny steps and find satisfaction in the small wins. By falling in love with these moments, we end up finding our passion and purpose in life.
Related Posts:
How To Find Your Passion In Life (thebeautyinbeinginsignificant.com)
Focus on the process
Personally, I know my big goals for this lockdown but I don’t focus on them anymore. All my attention is now dedicated towards the tiny steps that I need to do every day to keep me moving forward. Reaching my end goal is only a side-effect of that process. I try not be let the successes get to my head. I have first hand experience of how ego can destroy your goals.
Related Posts:
Is Your Ego Getting In The Way Of Your Personal Growth? (thebeautyinbeinginsignificant.com)
One of my most valued tiny steps is getting out of bed on time. I find this to be the most challenging. During this period of isolation, the motivation to act is so low. It’s easy to stay in bed for hours watching TV, distracting myself from the outside world.
After all, there is no time pressure to get to work. I can start my day whenever I want to. This is why it is the first and most important tiny step. Getting out of bed early starts the day off with a win. Although it may appear insignificant, without it, the day can often spiral downwards.
By having a delayed start, you often push back tasks that need to get done, causing self-inflicted stress. Another personal tiny step of mine relates to this blog. Instead of focusing on my goal of writing four posts a week, I now focus on writing for 2 hours every day. This allows me to take my time to produce quality content. There is no rush so I can be as creative as possible in my process.
By making small changes like this throughout my day, I find that I am reaching my goals with relative ease. By making consistent small efforts daily, I can set myself for success in the long run. You know what they say. Slow and steady wins the race.
What about you? Have you set any new goals recently? How are they going? Let me know in the comments below. Also, make sure to join our mailing list to get exclusive access to our free Goal Statement Tool as well as a weekly newsletter.
I loved this and your fascination with astronomy!
Thank you!