Many people struggle to reach their goals. In fact, I read recently that eighty percent of the people who set goals on New Year’s abandon them by Valentine’s Day. So, if that outcome sounds familiar, you’re not alone. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Not if you take baby steps.
Every goal I’ve ever accomplished in my life, I’ve accomplished by taking baby steps. It doesn’t matter what the goal is: it could be de-cluttering my home or advancing in my career. If I want to accomplish something, I break the process down so it won’t feel so overwhelming.
To advance my career, I identified the goal I wanted to reach. Then, I figured out what baby step I could take to move in that direction. My first big career goal was to become marketing manager. The first baby step I took was asking my mentors if they’d share their career playbooks with me. The knowledge I gained from those conversations helped me figure out my next baby step. Then, I just kept putting one foot in front of the other until I reached my goal.
Behavioural psychologists will tell you that your goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-measured. Simply telling yourself that you want to move forward in your career won’t get you there. It’s too vague a goal. You have to identify the specific target you want to hit and the concrete steps you can take to move in that direction. You also have to set markers, evaluate your progress, focus on the steps you’ve taken (not on those you haven’t), and give yourself credit for every step you take.
And remember—progress rarely happens in a straight line. Sometimes you have to get off the main road to get to where you want to go. When I was trying to advance, I took lateral promotions whenever I could. Those sideways steps broadened my skill sets and helped position me for the top job.
Taking the baby steps approach really helped me when my husband was ill, too. Early on, I desperately wanted to get him admitted to a rehab program, but he was on the borderline for admittance. If he didn’t get in to the program, I had no idea where I was going to turn. But I didn’t allow myself to go down that road. I focused on the baby steps I could take to get him admitted. First, I thought about how to handle myself during his assessment. Then, I rehearsed breathing techniques to help me maintain my composure. Next, I considered the story I’d tell the assessor to help him see my husband as a human being, and not just another case on his roster. In the end, he was admitted. Of course, things could have gone another way. But taking those baby steps helped me feel that I was doing everything I possibly could to achieve my goal.
It definitely takes perseverance to achieve your goals, but don’t assume that the people who achieve theirs have superhuman willpower; that’s not the case. What they have is a clear strategy. Taking baby steps is the strategy that has always worked for me.