Every single day, you must take one step towards your goal. Words to live by. It doesn’t matter what it is. Just do it. It could be as simple as looking up something on the internet, or talking to a friend, or maybe jotting down some thoughts, or even making a “To Do” list. Just do it. I have a hard time going to sleep at night without completing this task. Once it becomes a habit, it is hard to break. Probably the best habit that I have ever picked up. It gives me goals, gives me hope, gives me purpose, gives me drive, and fills my heart. My first thought in the morning is, “What can I do today that is just for me? One thing that moves me towards my goal”. The very next thing to do is to get up. Get out of bed. Pull the covers off and put your feet on the floor. Even if you must fool yourself into thinking you are only going to go to the bathroom. Get up. Take the step. Move.
There. Done. As easy as that. You have made a step. Now, don’t stop the momentum. Go to the bathroom and wash your hands. If you must, jump in the shower. Sometimes I just wash my face to wake up. I do my best work as soon as I wake up. I have a routine of tending to our pets first by giving them fresh water and their breakfast. This helps me wake up a little more, and they in turn feel loved and taken care of, and they don’t bother me while I work. Now, it is my turn. My turn to feed my own needs and take that step. That one step that could possibly change my life. But, what will it be?
I make it a rule, not to look at my cell phone or social media, or anything that may distract me from my goal. Nobody knows I am awake yet, and won’t know if I don’t log on. I have already made that step. I got up. I got up earlier than I needed to. I could have slept. I could have slept right to when the alarm goes off and I must jump in the shower and get ready for work, or the appointments I MUST take care of. Nope. This is my time. Nothing will distract me from that.
My next step is to fill my water bottle and go to my desk. I am a writer, so this is my next step. I keep my desk clean so that the distractions are gone. No mail to open, no appointment book to overwhelm me, no bills to pay and no “Honey Do List”. Just me and my laptop. My wonderful desk, my comfy chair, my water, and my laptop. Here is where it can get difficult for me. I must be very careful not to get pulled away. I need to turn on my laptop to make those little steps towards my goals, but I also must make a conscious effort to stay away from the social media, emails, and internet game links. These will never get me to my goal. These links are my unwind links, not my windup links. These links will steal my attention, my time, and my life. That may sound harsh, but I have fallen into this space many mornings before and it got me no-where. No-where except angry and frustrated with myself for not taking my step. Not completing my daily one step goal.
It is time. It is now time to do that one thing. I open a new document. I haven’t named it, not yet. I just open the document and set my favorite font, and then set my favorite size of font. Then I start to write. Not sure about what yet, or how it will turn out. I just write what comes to my mind. Maybe it is that list of things I need to do towards my goal. Maybe it is the start of a new chapter. Maybe it is simply some random thoughts that might turn into something. I pay no mind to what it is. It just is.
This is my step towards my goal of being a writer. If your goal is to lose some weight, you might take this time to eat a healthy breakfast, or get into your workout gear and get going. If your goal is to make a beautiful piece of art, you would set up your supplies and get creating. If your goal is to change your career, you would go to your search engines, and get searching. If your goal is to change the World ….whoa, one step at a time. Small steps. Not so big and not so fast. You are thinking too big in this moment. Bring it back to one step. Maybe you could join a local group that helps recycle or clean up the park, or feed the hungry. Maybe you could donate some time somewhere in your community. Maybe you could write a letter to your local government leader. But, just one little step right now. The payoff is huge. Someday you will look back on this day and remember that you started to move. You took the step. You just did it.
