How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
We tend to make things harder on ourselves than they have to be. When working towards something that takes time and effort to achieve, we tend to undercut our own success.
The classic example is weight loss. We place ourselves on a diet. Every day we hold ourselves up to our self-defined ideal. If we eat salad and skip dessert, we win. If we eat that meatball sub, we’ve failed. If we lose two pounds this week, we win. If we gain them back, we lose.
And instead of moving past what we call a “failure” and picking up where we left off, so often we become demoralized and give up entirely.
But any long-term effort isn’t about a one-time decision that must be followed. It’s about a series of choices — every choice really — and having your choices move you closer to that goal, rather than farther away.
In our weight loss example, you make a choice to have the egg whites instead of the pancakes, to take a walk at lunch instead of a nap, to hit the gym instead of the movie theater. But if you happen to make one choice that takes you farther from the desired path, it’s the next choice that’s critical.
So, you’ve had a setback. What’s the next choice you have? Whether or not to let that setback derail your progress.
Focus on the opportunity that comes out of the challenge. One unproductive choice does not a failure make. You have the power to choose your next step: pessimism, or progress.
photo credit: digitalART2
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