Behold The Mighty Baby Step!
Clutter? What clutter? My friend Chris eliminated a major portion
of the deeply entrenched clutter in her mountain home, something she
has intended to do for years! How did she do it? By doggedly,
persistently, taking small, do-able steps over the course of about 6
weeks. She eradicated the piles of papers on her floors and recycled
the extra furniture and clothing that she no longer liked or used.
She bought color-coded storage systems --- drawers and bins and
folders - and labeled and used them. She completed items on old lists
and got rid of the lists; she kept newly cleared surfaces clear. As
she persisted in this project, week after week, something new emerged. Her intention to "get rid of clutter" was replaced by an energizing
desire to bring beauty and harmony into her home. This powerful
positive inclination toward order, simplicity, and esthetics took on
life and momentum of its own. The universe kicked in and began to
cooperate with her. She became even more motivated and effective with
this additional energy. Huge accomplishments are the result of a long series of small steps. Individually, these steps look and feel quite humble. But do not be
fooled! The Mighty Baby Step is THE essential building block of
personal transformation, growth, and change. It is enormously
powerful and available to each of us, every day. The most important step in any project is always the NEXT one.
That's where your power is; that's why I named my first newsletter "Next
Steps News." STAY PRESENT WITH THE TASK AT HAND. Honor the Mighty
Baby Step in front of you and honor your intention to complete it.
Resist the temptation to get overwhelmed by the bigger picture: just
don't let yourself go there! During my cycling training, I tended at first to be overwhelmed by
big hills. As I'd start uphill, I would look up and think, "Whoa,
that's steep! And long!" Being daunted by the hill made my actual
ascent more difficult than it had to be; I would struggle all the way
up. I learned to stop looking at how steep and how long the hill was,
to keep my attention glued to the present. "THIS pedal stroke is
fine, I can totally do this. I have breath and stamina in reserve; no
problem, really. I even have a couple more downshifts in reserve if I
need them. . . . And now THIS pedal stroke is fine. . . ." And so
forth. After a short while I was just pedaling up the hill, breathing
into my level of exertion, noticing the wildflowers on my right,
appreciating the breeze, wondering whether I'd overtake the rider
ahead of me. Letting go of the fear helped me just DO the next step. I also tended to get daunted by the big picture. I would think,
"54-year-old slightly overweight non-athlete woman will ride a 2-day
cycling endurance event. How likely is that?" When my mind went off
in that direction, my job was to bring my attention back to the
immediate challenge. On any given training day, I wasn't DOING the
2-day endurance event. I was doing TODAY's 30-mile ride or today's
hill drill. Or watching TODAY's food intake. That's all. And
today's challenges were always manageable. The next step inevitably has its own challenges - you don't need to
add negative emotion to it! That kind of emotion just creates more
work. Clear the clutter from your head, and JUST DO THE TASK. Left,
right, left, right. As much as you like to analyze . . . there comes
a time to just do it, thank you, Nike. Once in motion, you are likely
to generate positive emotion and energy which can inspire, fuel, and
profoundly support your continued action. WHAT ARE YOU WORKING TOWARD? Is your goal better health? Every
step you take in that direction makes a difference. Every time you
forego salty fried food in favor of lean protein or lightly prepared
veggies - every time - you move forward toward your goal. Every time
you go for a brisk evening walk instead of sitting around, you are
taking a Mighty Baby Step. These small moves are cumulative, and over
time they land you closer to your goal than if you had not taken these
steps at all. COACHING TIPS 1. Know what your goal is. Put it into your own words. 2. Know what the next step toward that goal is. Go as small and
local as you need to! (For me, this was, "Do today's ride." Or
closer-up: "Get up this hill." Or even closer: "Take this pedal
stroke.") 3. Take that next step. 4. Go back to 2 if you can, or if you've forgotten what you're
doing, go back to 1. 5. Support yourself along the way: a) Keep yourself un-daunted.b) Credit yourself for being in the game. c) Know that every step counts. Remember the tortoise and the
hare. d) Honor where you are in the process, and don't judge it. If you're considering hiring a coach to help you with challenges like these, contact me for an initial consultation at no charge. Copyright 2003 Sharon Teitelbaum. All rights reserved.
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