The Life-Changing Habit of Taking One Small Step at a Time
Every troubling feeling or event we experience in our present moment is a message that can be traced to one or more factors.
For example, here are a bundle of contributors for anxiety at work:
You are overwhelmed by too many tasks and deadlines
You’ve not been eating well
You encountered a difficult person and reacted badly
You didn’t sleep well the night before
You are worried about your future
In the face of so many factors, it is unsurprising to feel anxious.
The best way to change a troubling feeling which seems insurmountable is to focus on one change you can make at a time. Choose one of the contributors that you know you can do something about and focus on it.
What step can you take right now to improve your situation with the largest impact?
In the case of work-related anxiety:
Eat healthy, nutritious foods to refuel your energy
Exercise to ensure you’re tired before you sleep
Break down your tasks into manageable chunks and delegate what you can to another
In future, react to a difficult person with the influence of calm and clarity. You can choose to control your own reaction but can only influence theirs.
Start exploring how you wish to be in the future and the steps required to get there.
With each small step you are proactively making a change. Everything you take positive action on will improve how you feel and impact your circumstances.
In Aesop’s classic Ancient Greek story of “The Hare and the Tortoise,” the boastful hare challenges the tortoise to a race. We learn that “Slow and steady wins the race” as the tortoise persistently takes one small step at a time towards the finish line, while the arrogant hare falls asleep under a tree.
“One step at a time,
One foot in front of the other,
I’m going to get through this,
One way or the other.”
Unattributed
If you would like further inspiration and daily practical advice for facing challenging times, please consider reading my book “Each day New you”