Summary

The article emphasizes the power of taking small, consistent steps to achieve significant goals over time.

Abstract

The concept of achieving big results through small, non-negotiable actions is a central theme of the article. It illustrates that by breaking down large objectives into manageable daily tasks, such as writing a set number of words for a book, losing a small amount of weight weekly, or saving a few dollars daily, individuals can make steady progress towards their goals. The article uses the metaphor of a river cutting through a canyon to demonstrate how persistent, incremental efforts can lead to substantial achievements. It provides practical examples of how consistent daily actions can lead to the completion of a book, significant weight loss, and substantial financial savings within a year. The article encourages readers to dream big, believe in their goals, and break them down into actionable steps, emphasizing the importance of making these actions a priority and non-negotiable to ensure success.

Opinions

The author believes in the transformative power of consistent, small actions, likening them to the persistent dripping of water that can carve a stone.
Success in writing a book is presented as achievable by committing to a daily word count, which makes the task less daunting.
In terms of weight loss, the article suggests that a slow and steady approach is more sustainable than fad diets, aiming for a realistic weight loss of 1-2 lbs per week.
The article promotes the idea that saving money can be made more accessible by focusing on a daily savings goal, which can lead to significant financial gains over time.
The author advocates for setting audacious goals and then trusting in one's ability to achieve them through steady progress, without reducing the scale of the ambition.
Consistent action is highlighted as the most crucial step in achieving goals, suggesting that these actions should be prioritized and made non-negotiable to avoid procrastination and self-doubt.
The article concludes with a quote from Robert Collier, reinforcing the idea that success is the result of small efforts repeated consistently.

The Magic of Small Steps To Achieve Big Results

By taking consistent non-negotiable action.

“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” -Chinese Proverb

Just as a river can cut a deep canyon, so too small steps can achieve significant results over time.

Success can be easy if we commit to a goal and break it down into small achievable tasks. But, the magic comes in never giving up. You need to be persistent and keep going.

Constant dripping water will create a crater in stone. Each drop of water is small and insignificant. But over time, the continuous and unrelenting dripping achieves the feat.

A few examples of breaking down big goals

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Writing a Book

Writing a book can be a daunting task for anyone. People can spend years writing a book, but what happens if we break that down into small steps?

According to Pro Writing Aid, the average self-help book is 40,000–50,000 words. If you commit to writing 500 words per day, you would have 40,000 words in 80 days.

500 words are nothing. It’s less than the amount of text in this story. If you’re able to type at the average speed (according to Typesy) of 41 WPM, this would only take you 12 minutes. Add some time to think, and you could still meet this goal in under an hour.

Or you could kick it up a notch and write 1,000 words per day. You would complete the first draft of a 40,000-word book in 40 days. Even with editing, you could knock out 4 books per year. It’s easy when you think of it this way.

Weight Loss

When it comes to losing weight, more people fail than succeed. Anyone who wants to lose 25- 30 lbs will most likely feel like they have a mountain to climb.

A fad diet that might yield quick but not sustainable results. Most experts recommend losing only 1–2 lbs per week. If you aim to lose 2 lbs per week, you’ll lose 8 lbs in a month. This means that in 3 months, you will have lost 24 lbs and nearly reached your goal. In 4 months, you’d surpass your goal with a loss of 32 lbs.

It’s easy to lose 2 lbs per week. If you’ve ever been in a weight loss group where you had to “weigh-in” every week, you’ll know that you can quickly drop a couple of pounds as that day approaches. If you can keep it up for a year, you could lose over 100 lbs in that time. Slow and steady progress forward would yield that tremendous weight loss in 12 months.

Saving Money

Would you like to have an extra $5,000 this year to spend on a luxury vacation, a down payment for a car, a home makeover, or a new computer? Many of you would struggle to easily save that amount of money.

What if you focus on the fact that over 1 year, this equates to only $13.70 per day? You could easily save that amount by forgoing one or two small things per day. Cook at home rather than buy fast food or skip those Starbucks coffees.

If you don’t want to give anything up, why not try to earn an extra $13.70 per day? Sell something on eBay or sell a product or service on Fiverr.com.

I once (20+ years ago) calculated how much money we’d save if my husband and I both gave up smoking. I realized that the money we’d save over 10 years would be enough to buy a penthouse apartment on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. So we both quit smoking, and that was the result. It’s amazing how small amounts of money can quickly add up.

What are the steps you need to take?

1. Setting Your Goal

Allow yourself to dream big. What do you “really” want to achieve? Remember that you’ll be breaking it down into smaller, more manageable chunks. So don’t sell yourself short when it comes to your dreams. What audacious goal would you love to achieve, and by when?

Then believe in yourself. Belief can be compelling — just look at the placebo effect. Commit and then trust that you’ll achieve whatever you set out to do if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other and make steady progress.

2. Breaking It Down

Now you can break that goal down into achievable chunks on a daily or weekly basis. You’ll want to ensure that these smaller steps are indeed doable. As in the examples above, will you be able to write 1,000 words per day, lose 2 lbs per week, or save $13.70 per day? If not, then adjust your time frame until you feel that you have something more realistic.

You mustn’t lessen or reduce the goal you have set for yourself. Go for it! It might just take you a little longer.

3. Taking Consistent Action

This is the most important of the 3 steps and the primary variable for your success. You need to be disciplined when it comes to taking whatever daily or weekly action you’ve set for yourself.

To achieve this, I make the small steps toward my goal a priority before allowing myself to do anything else. Don’t put it off. The sooner you can complete your task for the day or week, the better. If you’re taking daily action, you could aim to finish before 10:00 a.m. If you’re taking action weekly, then aim to finish by Tues. of every week.

Your actions have to be non-negotiable. There can be no decisions involved. If you ask yourself questions such as: • “Do I feel like doing this today?” • “How much should I do today?” • “When will I find the motivation to start?” You’ll start to negotiate and bargain with yourself. The actions are NON-NEGOTIABLE. There is nothing to think about and no decisions to be made. Complete the task for the day or week! That’s all.

“Success is the sum of small efforts repeated, day in and day out.” Robert Collier

As in the Aesop Fable The Hare & The Tortoise, the finish line is not always crossed because of speed. The person who makes slow but steady progress often finishes first.