Okay... did I grab your attention with that title?
Hope so!
Yeah... I'm usually all about dreaming BIG and thinking BIG... but a recent study in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin written by Linda Houser-Marko and Kennon Sheldon reinforces the need for us to dream BIG but concentrate on the small steps that it takes to get there.
We call those "Small but Significant steps."
Their study found that it's important for us to dream BIG and to set BIG goals. But that it's also REALLY important to think through the steps that it will take to achieve that dream or goal.
They found that as people walked out their BIG dream using these small steps... they had something to do. They made progress... one small step at a time.
Plus, if they were focused on the multiple smaller steps to get to their goal, they were less impacted by set backs. So, if one of the steps didn't work out or "failed," it didn't mean the dream was over or the goal was impossible. It just meant that that small but significant step didn't work.
So, for an example, let's say someone wants to run a marathon. They put a plan together. They think through the small but significant steps they will need to take to get there.
They may set a weekly goal of running 4 miles 4 times a week. But let's say that in a given week, they don't hit that goal and they only run 10 miles. Well, this study helps to show that if we are clear on those individual steps, then we can give ourselves a little grace and recognize that even though we may not have hit our weekly goal, that doesn't mean that our BIG dream is out of the question.
It just means that we need to take another look at our weekly plan and make some shifts.
In this case, maybe it's making a little more time for running. Or maybe it's adjusting your running schedule to allow yourself to build up a little slower.
So... it may seem incredibly simple, but it's important.
Because, as we've worked with BIG dreamers we've seen more than one think about their BIG dreams but never get to the point of breaking it down into small but significant steps. So, then they set out and take a step towards it, but if it doesn't go well, they think their dream is impossible.
But for those people who are willing to dream BIG and then think small (small but significant steps... that is)... they can face challenges along the way and know that it's all going to work out. They'll keep moving towards their BIG dream!
So keep dreaming BIG and devote a little time to thinking small this week! And let us know how it goes!
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