Use Small Actions to Get huge results

Chomwa Shikati

(The StartUp) Taking the first step and getting started is typically the most difficult part of doing anything.

But when we do get started, we are usually filled with enthusiasm, huge bursts of inspiration and motivation; and this in turn makes us want to achieve monumental goals quickly with huge amounts of effort all at once.

But soon after that comes the overwhelming and burn out feeling which is usually followed by a quick downward trend until eventually,

we aren’t doing anything anymore.

Does this sound familiar?

Sure it does. Am pretty certain everyone has gone through a cycle or cycles similar to that one, and that is because we all have had, and some of us still, have big goals.

I could very well remember a time when I had huge dreams of saving the world one day, and like most people those dreams slowly dwindled the older I grew, until I was just content with just saving myself.

What happened? What went wrong?

Where those dreams big?

Yes

Where they impossible to achieve?

No.

Then why did I give up on them.

My problem was that I tried to do it all at once. I thought I could make it all happen with a huge amount effort and in a very short period of time, and i though that if i did that then everything would fall in place all at once.

Isn’t that how most of us usually approach any drastic life changes that we want to make? Don’t most of us give it our all and hit the gym for a couple of weeks and expect a perfect set of abs in no time at all?

But, is that how you climb a mountain? Or how you would eat an elephant?

In one big step? With one huge bite? All in a matter of minutes? Hours?

No.

You would only achieve such a feat by taking one step at a time. And by taking one bite at a time. Do it consistently, over a long period of time, and those tiny small actions will take you all the way to the summit of where you wish to be.

There is an old Chinese proverb that agrees with that statement, it says:

‘It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap only to stumble backward.’

That really does not resonate with most people in our society today.

We are such an instant gratification society. We want a lot of things and we want them now. From high speed internet to fast food, we are so used to getting what we want and getting it quickly that we don’t realize just how much work and effort it’s going to take to achieve something notable.

And in order to get that we are compelled to make huge strenuous efforts thinking they will give us the results we want fast.

But anything worthwhile takes time.

The truth is, making a drastic change works only for about 3–4 days before people eventually give up and go back to their old ways.

That’s why it’s better to make small changes before you slowly increase that over time, allowing you to stick with it.

You should know that even the smallest effort you make to move forward today can reap noticeable results a year from now.

And the catalysts that will help you to reap those results are consistency, and patience. These are vital if you wish to achieve your goals.

Because they will be times when you wish to ignore the small actions and just stay out of it for a while, in those times you should remember that consistency is everything.

Consistency will establish habits that will carry you through the days when life happens.

They are times when you will be frustrated with your results and wish to give up, in those times you should remember that patience is everything.

Patience will lead to gratitude that will make you appreciate and not take for granted all that you have achieved.

The principle that is taking advantage of when you are using such small efforts to achieve huge objectives is the principle of ‘compounding’.

Small things done consistently will grow over a period of time to become big things, always.

This principle is always in effect, whether with good daily actions or with bad ones. Daily action, irrespective of its size compounds into great things.

For instance, if you want to write a 30,000 word book, simply writing 500 words a day will enable you to complete a book in just 60 days.

That small action of writing every day will enable you to achieve that seemingly huge task. Each day will bring you closer to your goal, but if you are not consistent and miss out on some days, You will fall behind.

This principle is a principle that you know so well but tend to easily forget.

So how about having a mental shift.

Instead of focusing on the end goal and therefore wanting to make huge strenuous efforts to achieve them, how about you choose to focus on enjoying the journey that you are going to take in order to get there.

This is not to say the end goal is not important, it is. But doing so will make you become strategic on how you achieve your goals. You will break down large goals into smaller achievable goals that you can easily perform consistently over a period of time.

Don’t worry and think you will be falling behind on your progress, as long as you are disciplined and consistent, you will soon build momentum and that momentum will enable you to work extra harder on the good days and push you through the bad days until your goals are done.

Final thoughts…

You can build your company.

You can lose weight and get in shape.

You can become smarter.

You can change the world.

Just stay focused and create achievable small actions and proceed to do them consistently over a period of time they will produce huge results.

Gary Keller and Jay Papasan in The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results stated:

“Success is actually a short race — a sprint fueled by discipline just long enough for habit to kick in and take over.”

People typically start with the bare minimum, but then they put small things in place over a period of time and gain great things.

So take comfort in knowing that the little efforts that you are putting in now will one day give out huge results.

By Chomwa Shikati