Step 4 is all about the quick wins.
No-one wants to wait a long time for a payoff, especially when they’ve already faced some challenges. So let’s get some quick wins under your belt so you can build momentum and gain some motivation.
Because here’s the funny thing about motivation – while most people think you need it in order to get something done, the reality is that getting something done is exactly what leads to feeling motivated.
The more you achieve, the more your confidence and commitment grows.
Find the smallest step you can possibly take to start turning that dream into a reality. (If you followed along with the prompts from step 1, you should already have a list.)
The smaller you can make it, the better.
Why? Because it’s hard to face into hours of work, so you want to make this step so small that you essentially shame yourself into doing it. It should be so incredibly easy that you’d feel foolish if you didn’t do it.
Now hold up. At this stage I can hear you thinking, ‘But if I’m only taking tiny steps forward, I’m never going to get anywhere. I’m never going to make any meaningful progress. If I want big results, I need big actions.’
Wrong.
Big actions often come with big rebounds. I’m not saying they’re all bad, but if you try to run before you can walk, you’re going to end up flat on your face.
What you want to do instead is build the HABIT of taking action.
Motivation is a fickle master that will abandon you when you need it most; habits and routines, on the other hand, are the co-pilots you can count on to get you where you need to go.
I’m guessing your goals aren’t “one and done”. You don’t want temporary results, you want lasting change.
Small wins can be built on. If you throw up a house in a day, it’ll be a miracle if it’s still standing in a decade. But if you take a little time upfront to build strong, steady foundations and solid walls, you’ve just given yourself a safe and sure environment for life.
Let me give you a practical example:
Let’s say your goal is to get healthy, and you’ve identified a regular exercise routine as one of the ways you’re going to do that. Your ‘baby step’ might be one pushup a day.
Yes, it’s going to take a while for you to see results but try doing 100 pushups and see how long that lasts.
So you do your one. And some days you feel a bit of extra energy and enthusiasm, so you knock out a few more. And then some days you feel a bit lethargic so you stick with one.
What you’re doing is building consistency. You’re getting into the habit of showing up. Committing to a small step doesn’t mean you’re stuck with small results, it just means that that’s your baseline.
You can take as many steps as you’d like on the days you have the motivation to do so, but your commitment is always to at least one.
By always starting from your baseline, you’ll be making consistent progress. You’ll have no more ‘zero’ days.
And now you’re ready to take back control of the year. No matter where you are on your journey, or how far off track you’ve strayed, you can still find your way back and reach your destination.
All it takes is a good map (step 1), a daily dose of inspiration (step 2), a clean slate (step 3), and consistent progress (step 4).
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And remember…
Your goals are yours for the taking.
