Going the distance

So I changed up my walking pattern this year, walking to the top of a nearby hill. The problem is that I was used to my previous walking path so I knew exactly where I was and how much longer the walk would take. As I started out I took the above picture because I thought WOW that’s a long way to go. Kinda like when you are driving across the desert and you don’t see much change from mile to mile. There are no distinguishing marks to gauge your progress.

With my previous walks I knew where I was pretty much for the whole walk, it was broken down by segments i.e. around the corner, back stretch, near the park, through the park, down the street to home. Which leads me to my point today, tasks are easier when we break them down into smaller chunks and when we only see the “whole” thing (or at least the part we can see) it feels more daunting.

So here’s a few pointers when taking on a new, large, or unclear task:

• Break it down into manageable chunks
• Take the first step immediately available
• Keep going until you reach a logical end
• Repeat

In my case I said ok let’s get to the first bend, then to the sign at the top, rest, head back down. and told myself just keep going, don’t stop, I can do this. Even though it looked daunting and like it would take awhile, it wasn’t as long as I thought it would be and I did it. I took the first step I went in that direction up the hill and kept going until I got to the top and then came back.

My logical end (goal) was the sign post at the the top. I knew it was there I’ve seen it so I set my sights on touching that sign. And now I repeat it, so far once per week but I’m going to gradually increase it to multiple times per week and eventually daily.

So what change are you trying to make? Break it down, take the first step, set the goal, reach it, repeat. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. Good luck.