Take One Perfect Step Today
“You don’t set out to build a wall. You don’t say ‘I’m going to build the biggest, baddest, greatest wall that’s ever been built.’ You don’t start there. You say, ‘I’m going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid.’ You do that every single day. And soon you have a wall.”
This is one of the quotes I live by, and I've thought about it almost every day since I heard it.
A few years ago, I came across a compilation of interviews with Will Smith about his thoughts on motivation, success, and determination. As an extremely successful actor in an industry that is notoriously difficult to be successful in, I thought listening to Will might be a good idea.
Skip to 3:20 in the video below for that quote, but I encourage you to watch the whole thing when you have a moment. It is probably one of the most motivational videos I've seen on YouTube.
This thought of doing one small thing perfectly has stuck with me through countless attempts to create, build, and improve, especially with Crazy Enough To Try. I'm constantly reminded that in order to do great things, success doesn't come from a singular great act, but rather a series of small, but powerful, steps.
Taking a few steps each day is what is going to get you to your destination.
We're taught to focus on the big wins, the times when we know if we do that one big thing, get that one big chance, we'll end up realizing our dreams. That's unrealistic and it's also the quickest way to burn out.
I guarantee that if you look at anyone who has successfully launched their passions into becoming an expert in their field, it did not come from one random lucky occurrence. It came from a long series of small steps that led to that breakout moment.
Thinking about writing a book or learning to play the guitar or developing a major breakthrough in your industry? You could dedicate your life to these pursuits for a few weeks and hope for that lucky break. That's how a lot of people approach their goals. And that's how a lot of people fail.
Or you could start small and build towards success, bit by bit, brick by brick.
If you're starting a blog for example, the list of what you'll need in order to create a large following is massive: registering a domain and finding a host, designing a website, writing the content, developing a mailing list, creating various social media profiles, engaging with readers, etc. The list goes on. Each of these actions is important, but you can't do them all at once. So you start with one thing, and every day you work a little more to reach a small goal. You take small steps. You take perfect steps.
What you'll find after a few weeks is that if you've been able to keep up the habit, you'll have achieved some great progress and even some small positive results.
The same applies for any goals in life. Professional, personal, spiritual, you name it. Start small, do the best you can, and do it every day.
Share your "perfect step" story in the comments.
- Ryan