To start is the toughest ask of all. Each and every one of us faces a block whenever we want to start something new. It could be hesitation, fear, doubt, or guilt- a number of emotions impede us whenever we look to start a venture. To fixate on goals and dream of success without actually committing any meaningful action towards it is a folly we all are guilty of. We know, but do not believe in the power of consistent small actions. To move slowly in the correct direction daily is to move all the same. Today, however, in the era of instantaneous home deliveries, we expect our objectives to be delivered to us in the same way- neatly packaged and done by somebody else. If only!
Let me begin with a very short story-
The King’s Redemption Arc-
The story goes like this- Once upon a time in India, there roamed a king desolate, lost, and hapless. For, he had lost his kingdom, his possessions, his dignity, and his respect in the eyes of his subjects. The victim of a treacherous coup, the king was now exiled and forced to roam about in faraway lands pining for his home and his people. His kingdom was vast and well-protected, so try as hard as he might, he could not figure out a way to attack.
While wandering aimlessly one day, he came across a child eating hot rice and daal (lentils or pulses). Since the food was hot, his mother advised him to start by slowly eating rice from the sides and cautioned him from putting his hand directly into the steaming hot rice, as it would burn him. Struck by the simplicity and effectiveness of such a simple technique, the king went away and began to plot upon the fringes of his territory. He planned small attacks against the border outposts of his kingdom. TLDR; this tactic helped him to regain his territory completely and he won back all that he had lost.
So, what stops us from being like the king?
Well, fear, mostly. But it is there for a reason. Fear is never not good. It is there to protect you and make you feel safe as it is solely your personal perspective of life. Fear will tell you to explore other courses of action apart from the one that you would have decided to follow. In a way, fear is our mind’s way of telling us we need to start with a small task instead of trying to take on a mammoth one.
Another mischievous element is our own impatience. Ours is a society of instant gratification. We sulk, complain, and often quit if we do not see instant results for the work that we put in. The tales of consistent work, continued efforts, delayed gratification, and sweet success are limited to fables for our children and seldom get played out in real life. Trust in your ability and persevere. Results do show!
There are ways to stay focused on the small actions so that your goals become achievable. To do so, one must turn a blind eye (and ear) to society’s clamour for achievements. There are no shortcuts to success, Rome wasn’t built in a day…yada yada, you know all of that. But, do you believe? Here, we present to you 5 actionable items to do regularly, that will make you believe in the power of small consistent actions.
- Remember the cause- You started out to achieve this objective because you wanted something. For every action that you take, remember why you began doing it all in the first place. Once the ‘why’ part is clear, honour time by giving yourself enough of it to work on your goals.
- Break down large tasks into smaller ones- Like the king of our story, break down something daunting into small doable tasks. Often during mountaineering, mountaineers are advised to keep climbing and not look at the summit and it is for good reason. The target will seem far and impossible to reach and it will affect your morale and dampen your spirits. So, for large goals, always create small doable targets regularly, and do not forget to reward yourself once you hit those targets! The rewards are going to ensure that you keep hitting those targets.
- Prioritise- There will always be a ton of tasks to complete. We would love to work undisturbed towards our long-term goals so that ideally, we would never be stuck in a rut. But life always has other plans and we are often left scratching our heads as we contemplate the mundane tasks of life as opposed to our grander goals. The need is to reassess on a daily basis as to what is the most important task at the moment. The others can take a backseat and this process ensures that you get the most difficult tasks done first. You can then go about the rest of your day in a relatively calm manner.
- Remember the 80/20 rule- Commonly known as the Pareto principle, this is a rule that states that roughly 80% of outcomes result from 20% causes (or efforts). Thus it is essential for you to identify that 20% which is going to generate 80% of your results. We guarantee that this process will take a chunk of your time, but the results will change your outlook towards your goal.
- Keep at it- All of the above pointers are of no use if you are not consistent. If you want to go far, you have to keep going. Many times you may feel as if everything is going against you, but remember, if you are going through hell, why would you stop? A few steps daily in the correct direction will go a long way in turning your dreams into reality. In short, consistency is the key.
Now, who would have thought that the story of the rabbit and the tortoise would continue to teach us life lessons beyond our school years? What do you know, slow and steady does actually win you your individual race. There are too many stories and tales from cultures all over the world that will tell you about the importance of small steps daily, but you get it right?
Start small, keep going. That’s it.
Blog you later.
