baby-steps2

I don’t follow too many hard and fast rules in my life.  Generally, I believe there are areas of gray and each decision and action is subject to change and interpretation depending on the circumstances.  However, I do steadfastly adhere to two ironclad rules when it comes to music and television:

  1. Never change the station when a Tom Petty song comes on the radio.
  2. Never turn the channel if a Bill Murray movie comes on the air.

So while I surfed through the cable landscape the other night, I was contractually obligated to pause on What About Bob?  In this dark(ish) comedy, Murray plays Bob Wiley, a neurotic but lovable patient and Richard Dreyfuss plays Dr. Leo Marvin, his egotistical psychiatrist.  At one point, Dr. Marvin urges Bob to read his new book, “Baby Steps”, in order to more effectively deal with his problems. By taking smaller steps toward solving a problem, Dr. Marvin argues, Bob will be able to better cope with his everyday life.  And couldn’t we all benefit by taking baby steps in our work and personal lives?

In our work lives, we all want to break the sales records, we all want to inspire our employees,  we all want to win the case, we all want to crush the competition.  Why not aim as high as possible?  But sometimes, we can set such lofty goals, it becomes hard to measure progress.  Sometimes, we can get bogged down and frustrated by focusing too intently on the big picture.  We don’t have to boil the ocean all at once!  What is one concrete thing we can do today to move the ball forward?  Call a prospect who keeps slipping off your to-do list.  Research a minor technical procedure for your upcoming case.  Schedule a one-on-one with an employee who has stayed under your radar.  Analyze the go-to-market strategy for one of your smaller competitors.  Why not do it right now?  It will feel cathartic to cross something of our to-do list.  And we can’t achieve long-term success until we take that first (baby) step!

The same is true in our personal lives.  We all want to have financial security.  We all want to have the perfect family.  We all want to have a large circle of friends.  We all want our house to be in order.  But we can’t have it all at once.  It will take a series of baby steps to get there.  Start with paying your bills this month.  Start with carving out time to spend with your children today.  Start with reaching out to a friend you have not seen in a long time.  Start with organizing the one closet you have been ignoring for months.  Why wait until tomorrow?  Dwelling on how much we have to do and lamenting about how far behind we are on our goals will not bring peace to our lives.  We need to take action. But that action does not have to be a giant leap.  A baby step in the right direction is all that it takes!

This is especially true when we suffer a setback.  The loss of  a big client.  A retraction of the business.  A financial meltdown.   A failed test.  Family dysfunction or a broken relationship.  Sometimes the hole we are in feels so deep that we stop trying to climb out.  Worse yet, sometimes we dig ourselves even deeper by shutting out the rest of the world.  If we are going to stay resilient, we can never give up.  If we are going to stay resilient, we must circle the wagons and lean on our closest relationships.  There is something we can do today to improve our situation.  Will it solve all of our problems?  Of course not!  But we must keep moving forward.  We must maintain our enthusiasm.  We must never stop trying to crawl our way back to the top.  One day at a time.  One inch at a time.  Baby steps!

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. –Lao Tzu

Regardless of where we are on the path of life, baby steps can help us achieve our goals.  It will not be linear.  But if we take one baby step every day (knowing there will be steps backward along the way), they will add up.  Over time, we will see our progress.  And our baby steps will now seem like giant Neil Armstrong moon steps propelling us forward!  That will build our confidence.  That will fuel our resiliency.  And that will allow us to achieve all of our goals and dreams.  What baby steps are you going to take today?

Until next week, keep smiling!