Removing a Mountain?

The one who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
– Chinese proverb

Our ultimate goal might seem so impossible…
– lose 50 pounds
– run a marathon
– stop a pack/day 25 year smoking habit
…that we never even try.

But when we break a goal down into the “small stones” mentioned in the proverb, “losing 50 pounds” can begin by reducing/eliminating junk food, walking with a friend at lunchtime, or learning to jump rope. That doesn’t sound anywhere near as daunting, right?

Running a marathon seems less like an immovable “mountain” when we begin by stretching our 3 mile jog to 4 miles and installing a running app on our phone.

The vision of a smoke-free life becomes a little easier to see when we start by leaving the pack out on the porch rather than in our pocket, or eliminating smoking while using the telephone.

By starting with the “small stones” we not only make our goal appear more realistic, but we get a chance to strengthen our change-muscles with those small steps. That will surely build our competence AND our confidence (and make our “mountains” tremble!)