STEP BY STEP

“We don’t march forward by taking one huge hop. We do so by taking one step at a time. Big is the aggregation of many smalls.” - Terry Mante

BIG DREAMS AND SMALL TASKS
HAVE you got aspirations that seem bigger than you are? Do you have any destination in mind that appears to be very far? Do you feel that without a huge stash of cash, your ambitions will be impeded? Maybe so…

But if you look at things from a realistic perspective, your perception might change. We don’t march forward by taking one huge hop. We do so by taking one step at a time. Big is the aggregation of many smalls. A million dollars is additions of a million one dollar bills. An hour is the accumulation of sixty minutes. A colossal book like the encyclopaedia is written one word at a time.

You can accomplish your big ambitions if you decide to break them down into simple and small actionable tasks. Don’t wait for big things to happen before you proceed. Move on with the small things that are possible now with focus on the big things that must happen in the future. Small actions connect to produce big results.

PLANS AND PROCEDURES
BREAKING of big ambitions into small tasks must not be done haphazardly. It must be done according to plan and procedure. A plan helps you to figure out a detailed method for pursuing your goals even before you begin to move. If you have a plan, you are able to navigate your life steadily. A procedure helps you to know how to implement your plan. A procedure is the sequence you follow to execute your plan.

If your dream is really important to you, then don’t go ahead without a plan and a procedure. Having a plan and a procedure will enable you to have an eagle’s view of where you want to get to. They help you to move on the basis of knowledge instead of despair.

PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE
WHEN you break big dreams into a series of small tasks, you are able to embark on a more purposeful pursuit. It makes you patient and persistent. You gain the fortitude to swim against the tide and endure waiting or delay without becoming upset. You learn to endure calmly even when difficulty stares you in the face.

The fact that there is a plan will help you to stay calm when you hit a brick wall. You will not surrender your great dreams to temporary obstacles. Persistence helps you to press through the tough portions of your plan.

POSITIVE ORIENTATION AND PERSPIRATION
YOUR dream may try to overwhelm you but don’t give up simply because you feel overwhelmed. You may not be lucky to have everything work in your favour but that is still not enough reason to cast off your great ideas. If you feel your dream is too big to materialise and you are tempted to give up, you can draw some inspiration from the heart of Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931). Edison is credited with over a thousand inventions, some of which are the photocopier, microphone, motion picture and incandescent light bulb.

In response to a congratulatory message from one of his employees after pulling through the iron-nickel battery, Edison said:

“I do not believe in luck at all. And if there is such a thing as luck, then I must be the most unlucky fellow in the world. I’ve never once made a lucky strike all my life. When I get after something that I need, I start finding everything in the world that I don’t need – one… thing after another. I find ninety-nine things that I don’t need, and then comes number one hundred, and that – at the very last – turns out to be just what I had been looking for.”

If you are frustrated, don’t give up. Believe that at the very last, you will find just what you are looking for. Again Edison is noted for his intoxication with the idea that “Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety-nine per cent perspiration.” And if you asked him about how he became that successful with his inventions, he would tell you, “Yes, sir (or madam), it’s mostly hard work.”

© 2012 Terry Mante
PEDNET
Accra, Ghana