I get a weekly mass text from an influencer named Jess Ekstrom. Recently, one of the texts really caught my attention: “Petition to replace ‘go big or go home’ with ‘start small at home.’” Um, yes please. What a concept and why didn’t I think about that?

I often find myself caught up in the “go big or go home” belief system. This leads to overwhelm, frustration and, quite frankly, avoidance at simply getting started. Has this ever happened to you? I mean, seriously, wouldn’t it just be easier to take a step forward than not take a step at all?

I didn’t realize how much I have gotten in my own way around this one until I was working with a client who had some big aspirations, plans and ideas. When the client came to me for coaching, she was stuck. I mean really stuck. Nothing had been done towards the big plan. The client had gotten caught up in an “all or none” belief system. So instead of doing anything, everything was still at ground zero. After our session, where we started breaking this down, I had to look in the mirror. I mean, really look in the mirror. I, too, had been falling into this trap of worrying so much about this “big thing” out there that I wasn’t doing anything about it. In my mind, I could hear those same old beliefs, “go big or go home”, “if it’s not big, why bother”, “can I really get that big”? Notice the voice of self-sabotage here?

What if starting small at home really was the key? What if we started with the small steps and trusted that they would lead to the big things? Ask any “overnight success.” That overnight success is usually years of hard work, grit, setbacks and more. What if these small steps kept us moving forward and created the momentum we need to stay out of the stuck zone?

I came up with ways to activate the SMALL to get to the big:

S—Start. Simply do something that moves you forward. Work on a corner of the room for decluttering. Write out a sentence and then another until your paper or blog is written. Make a list and start with something you can cross off. Identify another and another. Just start.

M—Matter. What matters to you the most? What is one piece of that thing you can tackle today? A phone call? A creation? Coffee? Calendar mapping? What brings the mattering to life?

A—Awareness. What is around you? What are the ways you can use this to move you forward? 

L—Leverage. What are the ways you can leverage what is already in place? What are the ways that the small things provide leverage for the big things?

L—Lean. Who can you lean into throughout the journey? Who do you want/need in your circle? How do they support your small moves?

Friends, the older I get, I am so aware of this precious time we have and I find myself wondering how I will ever accomplish the big goals. Then I remember that I can take steps each day towards that. I can embrace and learn in the process. I can even have some fun with the small. I also know that in starting small at home, I’m STARTING and that is the key. I’m not stuck. I’m not wondering. I’m doing. I’m being. I’m creating. I’d rather start small at home than never start!

What does starting small at home look like to you?

Keep SHINING in Your Brilliance!