Set Yourself Up For Success

Ask any of my children, my friends, my mother, my partner, my coaching clients what my tagline should be and they will, without a doubt, yell in unison "Set Yourself Up for Success!" Define a goal and then take the time to make tiny, itsy bits of progress along the way so that you work less, experience less stress, and see more satisfactory results in the end.

Too simple? It is! And that is the beauty of it. This simple mantra has led to my success as a startup mom, single mom, and entrepreneur mom.

When we set out to do something, the big goals are the easy part but it is easy to find ourselves constantly striving for big achievements and often overlooking the significance of small actions. We believe that success and satisfaction are only attainable through monumental efforts and significant outcomes (and let's not forget that sweet hit of Dopamine!) However, the truth is that small actions are the only way to see sustained success in achieving our goals.

So how do we do this?

1. Breaking Down the Big Stuff: One of the primary benefits of focusing on small actions is the ability to break down overwhelming tasks into manageable steps. By dividing a larger objective into smaller, bite-sized actions, we eliminate the burden of feeling overwhelmed. Each small action becomes an attainable goal in itself, creating a sense of progress and accomplishment along the way (again, yay dopamine!) This approach reduces stress and allows us to maintain motivation as we see tangible results along the way.

2. Making it a Habit: Do just one small thing every day. If you are like me (or most other women!) there are weeks during the month that I can conquer anything, literally anything, all while continuing to be a present mother, friend, partner, and amazing creatrix! And then there are the weeks when survival mode kicks in and the bare essentials become the goal. During these weeks, the habitual accomplishment of our small goals becomes essential to making progress on the big stuff. So make yourself a visible list of those small goals and choose at least one per day to complete. Make sure they are small enough that on the days when PJs are high-fashion, you can still complete them.

3. Don't Look Down: As we take small steps in the direction of our big goals, we will want to see significant progress. Resist the urge to analyze progress in the context of your overall big goals. This is the easiest way to turn your small-step victories into overwhelming defeat. If you are a person (like me) who wants to judge themselves on their productivity on a weekly or monthly basis, then look only at your success rate on the small steps. And, if absolutely required, build in a "big goal analysis" into your small steps schedule to track progress. That way your self-judgement on productivity (and therefore worth - btw let's stop doing this) is a planned event.

4. Definitely Look Up and Celebrate: Just as we do not want to linger on how much further we have to go, we absolutely do want to linger on how far we have come. This is true both for our overall sense of accomplishment and for the consistent dopamine payouts we enjoy from accomplishing small goals. Focus on what you did do and not what you failed to do. Even if we only accomplish one of our seven small goals for the week, celebrate that!

The significance of small actions in achieving satisfactory results with less stress cannot be overstated. By breaking down overwhelming tasks, fostering consistency and habit formation, and celebrating milestones, we unlock the power of incremental progress. Remember, every step forward, no matter how small, counts towards your ultimate success. Set Yourself Up For Success and experience the transformative impact they can have on your life.