Do You Follow These 7 Easy, Baby Steps to Success? This Process Works!

“I wish…” We do it all the time, don’t we? We learned about making wishes from fairy tales. Magically, what you desire appears, without any effort. That’s not how real life happens, however. Yet so many of our goals remain wishes. “I wish I could  lose weight.” “I wish I could write a book.” “I wish I could start a new career.” Wishing alone doesn’t make your dreams come true. There’s more to traveling the steps to success.

Yes, wishing, wanting and dreaming are quite important to our human experience. They are the genesis from which we create a desire to do something different, to be more.

I urge you to be a Dreamer and dream big. But don’t stop there. Being a Dreamer won’t make your dreams come true. They’ll eventually languish in a drawer and will never see the light of day. So what’s next?

After dreaming, people usually become Goal Setters. We’ve been taught to write out the specifics of our dream — lose 2 pounds every week so I can look good at my school reunion; write 1,000 words every morning so I’ll have a book ready for publishing by the end of the year. While that’s a good start, it’s also where many goals die within a week or two.

So people next become SMART Goal Setters. They break goals into baby steps they can measure, analyze, and track. Goals certainly have their place, if they’re Quick, Easy, and Enjoyable. However, the trouble with only using goals is that when you fail, you always feel like you’re starting over. That’s a motivation drain.

Something is still missing….

Achieving your Big Dream requires you to have a planned strategy that keeps you accountable, an environment that reduces distractions, plus a support system that keeps you motivated. Yet it actually goes deeper than that. It takes Routines and Rituals. These are the things that change who you are at your core, so you become your Big Dream!

Goals seldom work unless you have healthy, sustainable routines that make that goal the easiest, most logical thing to do. Routines create automaticity so that goals become effortless.

The 7 Baby Steps to Success…

Imagine your Big Dream is to become a person who meditates daily. You’ve seen how it helps other people and you want that for yourself. Ready? Let’s run through how these seven baby steps to success work.

1. Wish: I wish I had a practice of meditation.

2. Big Dream: If I had a daily practice of meditation, I could start each day calmly, with clarity and focus. I would get more done. I’d be kinder to my family. I’d handle stress better.

3. Goal: Meditate every day.

4. SMART Goal: Get up 15 minutes earlier than normal, before anyone else gets up, so I have quiet to meditate every morning for 10 minutes.

5. System & Strategy: I tell my family that I’m going to be getting up at 6 A.M. to practice meditation because I’m feeling stressed and I’d appreciate no one interrupting me. I will be available to them after 6:30. To get up earlier, I need to wind down and be ready for sleep by 9:30 P.M each night. At the end of the day, I review my day, especially reflecting on how a meditation practice would make the rough spots better. I set out my comfy meditation outfit and set my alarm. I go to sleep easily, because I’ve processed the day’s stressors and I’m free to relax.

6. Routine & Ritual: I slip out of bed well before my alarm goes off because I’m looking forward to my special me time. I put on my meditation outfit. Visit the bathroom. Drink some water and then go to my quiet place. I spread my mat. I spritz the air with my favorite essential oil. If the sun is rising, I watch it as I do my stretching and breathing exercises.

I’m careful to be mindful of and savor how my body responds to each move. I count to my special number. (If the sun isn’t up, I imagine it rising.) As I complete my meditation routine, I set my intention for the day by speaking it out loud and recording it in my journal. I put my mat away and get ready for the day. I do this again and again until it becomes part of my routine for personal wellness.

So far, so good. But we can’t stop here. There’s one final, crucial step each of us needs to give attention to…

7. Celebrate Achievements & Milestones: As the days turn into months, I page through my journal and see my ups and downs. But I also notice a trend. I now meditate more often than not! Six months ago, I was just wishing I could meditate more often. Now it’s part of who I am and I love it! And look at the way my life has improved because of this… I must write all of these things down… I’m more energetic. I feel connected to nature. I’ve seen beauty I normally slept through. I’m calmer, more patient. My partner and I are happier. My business ideas are flowing…  I need to celebrate this!

Who do I want to share this moment with? What would make this a special occasion that I’ll remember? I’m calling my best friend Marcie and we’re going to have lunch at the new bistro, then we’ll go to the mall and I’ll get a new meditation outfit. After all, this is something I’m doing year-round, so I need one for summer, one for winter. Oh, I need to buy two outfits… one to motivate me towards my next Big Dream. And I need a new journal to record the next stage of my life’s journey.  I know I can make all of my dreams come true, one baby step at a time. 

Do you think you can follow these baby steps to success?

 I started paying attention to the processes and systems that created the greatest impact in my life. Some are seemingly insignificant; some are major breakthroughs. Combined, they form a road map for Stepping Forward into creating a life of meaning and fulfillment. I invite you to download an Introduction to The Stepping Forward Program and begin making your Big Dreams a reality.