Small Steps to Big Accomplishments

Successful Life Mindset

Small steps….

Tracy and his wife decided to do something together. They are going to run in a 5K (3.1 miles) run in the fall. Tracy has a history of running, but it’s been a while. His wife does not have that history. They got out to run the first day and realized they were not ready for that 3.1-mile run. Tracy said “Small steps of progress pave the path to larger accomplishments”. They began running a quarter-mile and walking the rest of the distance for the first week. The next week, they ran a half-mile and walked the rest. Slowly, taking those small steps, they increased each week’s run by a quarter-mile until they reached the 3.1-mile goal. Now they are ready to obtain their long-term goal in the fall. Practicing and learning along the way is success itself. Don’t be discouraged by the hugeness of the overall goal. Much like eating an elephant, it must be one bite at a time.

Cliff had a similar experience this past week. He decided two of his long-term goals were to set his schedule for the next year – dates, titles, who would be on with him, what content, etc., and to move forward with his “A to Z” project – adjust his schedule, create templates, etc. Once he thought through each step he needed to take to reach his long-term goals, he felt much more able to accomplish them. Step 1 was simply setting the calendar. Now, he is on to step two.

The key to going from A to B may seem large and unobtainable, but once you take that fist small step that is obtainable, you can eventfully reach your goal. It takes time and effort, but when you set your goals and then plan a series of small steps to make them happen, you will be successful.

Is Your Picture Clear?

You need to ask yourself, “Where do I want to see myself in 5 years?” Get that picture clear in your mind. Do something every day that will move you closer to that goal. You need a vision of what you want. The picture may be like an onion in your mind in the beginning. The object of your goal might start out a little unclear, like the core of an onion. You can’t see it, don’t know what it looks like, but reaching the core is your goal. You peel back the onion one layer at a time and eventually, you will reach the center.

Funnyman, Jim Carey, once had trouble getting acting positions, but he had faith in himself. He wrote out a check to himself for one-million dollars. He wrote, “For services rendered as an actor” in the memo section. He kept that check in his wallet until it was a truth. His actions were part of the three steps to achieve success:

• Believe it is possible.
• Write it down.
• Talk about it to yourself and to others.

This may sound a bit “new-age”, but we all walk within God’s rules every day. God gives us tools to use. Making plans, writing them down and talking to people about them is a tool to move us to a positive mental attitude which opens possibilities. All things are possible with God.

Dream Big Dreams

One of Cliff’s big dreams was to be a paid keynote speaker. He told people about it and now he can cross that off his list of goals. He has become a paid keynote speaker. If he had not told anyone about that dream, it might not have happened.

Cliff told of a group that says to ask yourself this question, “Is there somebody you’d like to be connected with, but have been unable to reach?” Another dream is to go to Nashville to Dave Ramsey’s studio and record an episode of Podcast Answerman. Cliff said that might never happen because he is a little intimidated by Dave Ramsey. Cliff once struggled with his own finances and while they have improved, they are not yet perfect. Tracy asked Cliff if he felt we had to be perfect in their area of expertise before we meet someone we admire. Cliff thought about it and, during this podcast today, Cliff decided to make that happen. He is reaching out to a mutual friend that will help him obtain that goal.

Cliff said it was about dreaming big dreams, which is the subject of a book he has recently heard quoted. (“The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Swartz)

Tracy saw a poster that had a large circle and a small circle within it. The inner circle said “Magic zone”. Outside the circle said, “Comfort zone”. There was an “X” marked outside the circles. It said, “You are here”, and made the statement, “Face your fears and move from the comfort zone to the magic zone”. FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real. So, don’t be fooled, face your fears!

Things to remember:

• Small steps lead to large accomplishments.
• Face your fears to conquer them.
• Move out of your comfort zone into the magic zone.

Miscellaneous Information

Cliff will soon announce his next A to Z Podcasting course. This is currently scheduled for July. This is a fee course; however, his How to podcast course is online and free. It will teach you the basics of podcasting.

Both Tracy and Cliff will be at the Blog World Expo in NYC June 5-7. Go to blogworldexpo.com for details.

Tracy’s movies, books and more are available through his website www.trostmovingpictures.com

Contact Cliff and Tracy

Cliff can be reached at – Send Email • twitter.com/GSPN • 859-795-4067

Tracy can be reached at – Send Email • twitter.com/tracyjtrost • facebook.com/DirectorTracyJTrost

Listen to the podcast live on Thursdays at 1pm CST at www.TheSuccessfulLifeMindset.com

If you would rather read a summary of each podcast, you can do so on our site here: www.TrostMovingPictures.com/category/podcast/

Remember, live your life to its fullest potential!