Whenever I start something new I tend to go all out. I make big goals, take on large projects, create huge expectations. I’m all in! That is until I mess up. The problem with grandiose goals and expectations is that you can set the bar too high. Make it too difficult for you to reach on a consistent basis.

Exercise is a great example of this. You are ready to start a new workout routine, so you plan out your week with an intense workout every day. 3 days into it you are holding strong! You go after your workout with enthusiasm! But that 4th day you wake up feeling super sore, tired from a poor nights sleep, and the thought of doing the intense hour long workout that you mapped out is just too overwhelming. So you skip it. Now you feel like you have failed. That begins the downward spiral of missing your workouts and eventually giving up.

It’s easy to do this in multiple areas of our life. In our attempt to create healthy and productive habits we end up self sabotaging ourselves from the beginning by trying to be a superhero every day. We think we can do it all and we are unstoppable! And I believe that we can do and be it all, but it’s also realistic to recognize that we aren’t going to wake up every day feeling invincible. Some days we are going to be off our game. Life happens and throws us off course every now and then. Circumstances outside your control can interrupt that productive groove you had going on. Does that mean we shouldn’t dream big and have huge goals? No, the bigger the better. But the way we go about reaching those goals needs to be kept in check. We need to anticipate that we are going to have “on” days and “off” days. And this is where mini actions come into play. 

Back to our exercise example. You are super excited to get your body in shape until you have that one day where you are off your game. Instead of throwing in the towel because you don’t have enough strength or energy as you did the day before give yourself a mini workout. Decide that you are going to workout for 15 minutes. Nothing too strenuous either, just a few pushups, sit ups, and jumping jacks. You keep it simple, little, and doable. What works about performing on a mini action is that for one, you are staying consistent with your goal to workout everyday and get in shape. And two, you are creating momentum. Chances are after the first 5 minutes you’ll be feeling pretty good and may stretch that workout to 30 minutes instead of 15. Newton’s law states, “Objects at rest tend to stay at rest, objects in motion tend to stay in motion.” These mini actions create habits and momentum that help you reach your goal.

So when an action seems too big and too overwhelming break it down into smaller actions. Lower your expectations. Get done the bare minimum on your to-do list. Make it so simple and easy that you can’t fail. What you will gain at the end of the day is a lot of little successes. This will keep you moving towards your goal with a winning attitude. And when you have those days when you are really feeling it then go ahead and take on the big stuff. But remember it’s better to make small steps towards your goal then no progress at all.