“On your darkest days do not try to see the end of the tunnel by looking far ahead. Focus only on where you are right now. Then carefully take one step at a time, by placing just one foot in front of the other. Before you know it, you will turn that corner” – Anthon St. Maarten
Starting Out
The characteristic of every successful or well-thought-out project is one taken systematically, in phases, or in stages with clearly defined objective(s).
Without an objective, the success or failure of anything undertaken cannot be measured well. A project should have timelines or a schedule and scope in place. Different projects may run side-by-side and eventually feed into a major outcome or set of outcomes. Roles and responsibilities would also have to be clearly defined from the onset or evolve well over the course of the project.
Given that all these prerequisites are in place, arguably, stepping out systematically is how we are going to make it through the year…step-by-step, project by project, milestone after milestone. With all the economic instability and almost predictable gloom around the world, this is one way we can approach life this year.
Probably, one of the surest approaches to not losing one’s mind and making it is taking life a step at a time. No matter how unstable the footing, as we move out a step at a time, we gain ground and push away from shore, just a little further than before.
“No one can achieve their dreams, and become the kind of person they were meant to be all at once. It’s a series of little movements, and you can only take the step that’s right in front of you.“ – Josh Hatcher
Pros
What does this approach offer us?
- It helps to build confidence
- We take territories and cover grounds, slowly but surely
- We learn from our experiences, one step at a time. A step-by-step and iterative approach helps us make adjustments early enough so we prevent, where necessary, a total overhaul of projects.
- We are able to re-strategize as we unlearn, re-learn and learn from the previous step(s) we have taken. There is an element of control so we are not taken by surprise
- It helps bring clarity to the vision and to communicate effectively as we identify the real Critical Success Factors necessary.
Cons
An obvious disadvantage of going this route would most likely be the challenge of inertia where a project gets stagnant because team members are trying to get everything right before moving on.
Challenge
This article seeks to encourage and challenge corporates and/or individuals in the face of the seemingly insurmountable challenges of the space in which we find ourselves currently, to consider a step-by-step approach to life in lieu of
worrying and getting stressed.
Would you consider this approach to life this year? An Old Chinese Proverb says, “It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.”
Freda Abah-Dakou
(Learn more about ThinkLead Ecosystem at https://thinkleadecosystem.com/)
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