Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In

by Michelle Santos

“It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.” ~Proverb

You have a dream. Right?

Everyone does. Maybe it’s buried, but it’s there. You probably have a rainbow assortment. Your life is made up of choices. Why not choose your dreams?

One of life’s persistent realities is that you can do anything you want, but you can’t do everything, and clearly, you can’t do everything at once. Focusing on one dream at a time makes success—completion—viable. Feeling bad, burned out and failing are not your goals. Defend against these hazards by taking on just one project at a time.

Even if you are the king of plate spinners planning and preparing will get you to your noble goal in less time, with less stress. Taking on too much guaranties neglected friends, disrupted sleep, missed deadlines. You know that frenetic feeling, and you know it’s not sustainable.

Imagine your dream as an entree. Picture something that will nurture, strengthen, and energize you. How are you going to eat that alluring plate of food? Slowly, savoring every bite, or quickly, without really tasting and enjoying the experience? With your hands or with chopsticks? Chopsticks are the epicure’s brakes, handily encouraging small bites.

Small bites is your new motto as you progress towards your dream. Whether you write a book, learn to paint, rekindle your love of photography, or get more familiar with Creative Suite, start by listing what it will take to get from here to there—that big place you want to be—using the smallest steps possible.

Pushing your boundaries and starting something new is scary. Small bites will help by keeping anxiety and fear manageable, making the process comfortably digestible. Fear is at the heart of every failed attempt to begin. But it is also part of everything worth beginning in the first place. So assess it, keep an eye on it, and if it gets in your face, shove it down the garbage disposal.

Set a deadline. Be realistic. If your deadline isn’t reasonable, then you are setting yourself up for feeling like you failed. A missed deadline can’t stop you from continuing towards your dream but feelings of failure can. So, spoil yourself with enough time.

You are going to approach this plate bite by bite. If you aren’t sure what all you need to do, start with a list of what you know, and include on your list where you will get any information you don’t have.

Go to the library, search online, buy a book, or consult with someone who’s already achieved your mission to enumerate all the steps. If approached properly, people enjoy talking about their victories. If you know your first steps, start there and gather information along the way.

Doing new stuff takes courage. You might feel like a kindergartener trying algebra at first. Don’t expect perfection ever, just expect your best. And remember, you only see the outcome of other people’s dreams—not the process of small successes and failures they experienced to get there.

Even if research is required to complete your undertaking, go ahead and start with any first steps you can. You’ve already accomplished “step one.” Break your dream down into smaller steps.

Move forward. Your plan may evolve as you go. Set weekly or daily goals and keep advancing. Track your project on your calendar—schedule time for your tasks, check them off when complete, and commit to a celebration date.

Keeping track works as a motivator. Checking items off a lit is like giving yourself gold stars. We all enjoy rewards. If you get off track, you know where to jump right back on. Most of what you do with your free time revolves around habits, so you’ll have to make a habit of working toward your dreams. Developing new habits takes time, diligence, and practice.

It will take you time to adjust to your new priorities. Some other things you used to do might fall off the radar. When you make shifts or change behaviors, the people closest to you will need some time to adjust. Don’t be surprised if their reactions aren’t positive at first.

Be gentle. Talk to them about what you’re trying to achieve, encourage them to join you in living a more fulfilled life, and wait. In time, those who resisted will align with your new schedule. Even if others aren’t as brave as you are, showing them success is an excellent way to guide them.

If you have been considering giving up a habit, this is a good time to do that, too. You can replace the old habit with your new one. That way you will fill the void it might have otherwise left, and you’ll feel doubly good about your efforts.

Whether you want to give up smoking, sugar, or cut back on television time, pairing the loss with a gain is a great way to move more rapidly toward your goals.

Your dreams are waiting for you and you for them. You can start reaching for them now.