We’re all familiar with the adage, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” though according to some sources, a more correct translation from the original Chinese might be “The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet.” A subtle shift, but significant nonetheless. While the single step denotes the difficulty of getting started, beginning beneath one’s feet seems to imply the nature of continued movement, more so than the former.
There’s no doubt that getting started with a new habit or making a lifestyle change can be daunting, and therefore difficult to begin, but getting started is only one piece of the puzzle, and will not guarantee success. What will is maintaining focus on a goal, and taking small, daily actions. 
In our world of immediate gratification and instant results, taking regular, deliberate steps continuously seems non-gratifying, anticlimactic, tedious. But taking these small steps is exactly what experts agree will get you to where you want to be. In the words of self-help guru Anthony Robbins, who grew up penniless but now commands a $200-million enterprise, “In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.” Notable examples of those who didn’t give up:
- Thomas Edison, that great inventor, failed more than 200 times before finally stumbling upon the correct formulation for the incandescent light bulb
- Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”
- Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were college dropouts
- Oprah Winfrey was dismissed from her first job as a news reporter because she was deemed unfit for TV
And while fame and fortune are only one measure of success, all of these individuals were considered failures, yet ultimately climbed to the top in their respective fields. What they have in common is at the core of Lao-tzu’s wisdom, of beginning beneath one’s feet: they began, and continued taking action until they had achieved the goal they’d set for themselves, then set even higher goals.
So what’s the takeaway? None of us may be destined for notoriety such as this, but we can assimilate the irrepressible spirit these individuals embody by making goals and taking consistent action to achieve them.
According to One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer, Kaizen embodies the idea of making great and lasting change through small, steady increments. Continuing with the Eastern mindset, Kaizen is the tortoise versus the hare – the idea that slow and steady wins the race. The emphasis here, again, is starting where you are, taking the first step, then continuously moving forward.
You will not lose 50 pounds by standing on a treadmill; however, if you walk on the treadmill for ten minutes the first day, then ten more the next, and so on, you will begin the forward momentum necessary to attain the weight-loss goal you’ve set. Want to write a novel? You may not be able to crank out a Kerouac-length manuscript over the weekend, but writing just one page a day for one year will produce a work longer than Kerouac’s On The Road.
The first step in making positive changes in your life is to know what you want to achieve. Take a minute today and list goals you’d like to set – whether it’s finding a new job, losing weight, or learning a new language. Of the items on the list, decide what you feel most passionate about, and list the steps you need to take to make it a reality. The OneBode 60-Day Genetic Weight Loss System is a program that enables you to reprogram your gene responses to lose weight, reduce inflammation, repair cells, avoid illness and age well. Through this eating plan, you can turn on positive genes and silence negative ones.
Start today with one small step, then take another step tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. If you miss a day, start right back where you left off. You may find that you were ready for this change to happen, and that maintaining the practice comes easily; alternatively, it may be an uphill climb for a while. Just remember to keep going, one small step at a time.
Source:
http://onebodehpc.com/2013/02/11/baby-steps-how-to-make-positive-change-a-sure-thing/ For more information visit: http://onebodehpc.com/
