Having a hard project you committed to or accepting a job you have a lot to learn in can be incredibly daunting. You can feel like you can’t possibly ever get ahead. Like you are failing at every turn.
How do I know? Because that’s where I’m at. I’m currently working on starting up a new podcast and working on creating value propositions for companies I could potentially work for. Meanwhile, I’m visiting my home in Kansas trying to catch up with family and friends and am having issues with my vehicle.
I feel like I have gotten in so deep and can’t possibly overcome the many problems and the resistance I am facing.
If someone sat you down and said you had to speak Chinese and you didn’t already, you would probably freak out. If someone came to you and told you that you needed to run a marathon tomorrow and you couldn’t even run a mile, you would probably feel incredibly overwhelmed.
On big projects, when you look only at where you are compared to the end result, you can become so overwhelmed that you struggle to even begin.
Rightfully so. You could never learn to speak Chinese in a day. You could never run a marathon with no training. That’s why you have to take one day at a time.
A question I often like to ask professionals who are very good in their career is to ask them what it was like for them first starting. How did they go from knowing nothing to becoming so good? Almost unanimously, they will say something along the lines of “just commit to learning one new thing every day.”
Such good advice that can be transferred into so many other areas of life. There is no way that I can get everything done that I need to by tomorrow. However, the important thing is to understand that my goal isn’t to learn it in one day, it’s to learn one thing each day and make a little progress, get a little better.
You have to set deadlines for some things. You have to be working toward something. But when you can gain the perspective of using each day to reach the best possible product for that day, you can start to conquer habits of procrastination and analysis paralysis.
If you have a big project you’re working on and don’t know where to begin, just start with something basic. By simply starting and getting your feet wet, you’ll be amazed at how fast your brain will catch up and help you along with the rest of the project.
Every day represents a rung on a ladder. By moving your hand up a rung, you’re progressing toward the top. Don’t get stuck on the distance, focus on the rung right above your head.