"You will either step forward into Growth, or you will step back into Safety."

~ Abraham Maslow ~

As the year quickly moves forward, this could turn out to be just another day, week and month that passes by, or it could be the beginning of something new. Take a look at your life. Overall, how is it going? Would you describe your life as a joyous, passionate expression of self? Are you living your most abundant, peaceful, loving life? Everyone of us carries within an idea, a dream, or a desire. Taking action on these desires is how a relevant and personally meaningful life unfolds. Yet so often these dreams are dismissed or put on the cold back burner because they seem so large and unattainable. Will today be another day that passes by without taking action on your dream?

Question: "What could you do differently today that would effect your life?"

We generally have some sort of an idea of what we would wish to create within our life. Yet typically, that dream is also connected with the enormity of all that it would take to change the status quo. The task ahead seems huge and unmanageable. All the familiar feelings of procrastination, doubt, and overwhelm rise to the surface. It seems much easier to remain in the safety of what is familiar. How do any of us get past the plateau that we sit on?

One Necessary Step . . .

Take A Small Step Each and Every Day

Antoine De Saint-Exupery ( 1900-1944, French Aviator, Writer) wrote, "What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it." In other words, in the end, as adults, no one can save us but ourselves. We own, and are responsible, for our own lives and happiness.

Problems and challenges exert a force over you. You feel trapped underneath the weight of your issue, unable to move. To confront this force, you need to know what you want out of life. You need a destination in front of you, some positive goal to reach. These long-term goals focus your attention on your ideal future. They represent your final outcome.

It is important to have this big picture representation of your final outcome. It is also necessary to live in today and to choose today actions. Step back from the big picture and find what step you can do right now, today, to make your dream come true. What is one small, achievable step you can take today to move forward with your dream?

What is the definition of a small step? It is any action you can take that would breathe life into your goal, that would bring a sense of forward movement, or that would make you feel good about being involved in the ideas and desires that are most important to you. Today action steps are immediate tasks that move you closer to your long-term goal.

Small action steps are based on your long-term goal. They are important because they keep you focused in the here and now, motivating yourself with small doable decisions. Make your action steps reachable. With each action you successfully complete, you feel more energize and more optimistic about having your outcome. Here are several examples of small steps that provide a big impact:

• Write down your goal on paper. Write it down every morning.
• Create a simple picture board illustrating your desired outcome.
• Take five minutes today to imagine yourself joyfully living your desire. Feel your body come alive with pleasure.
• Create a priority list each morning and schedule your goal tasks with a specific time.
• At the end of each day write down the action you completed and celebrate your efforts.

Will today be the day you gently put aside all of your excuses, and take tangible action on creating your most meaningful dreams?

Regardless of how overwhelming your goal seems, there is always a small step that would lead you toward overcoming your inertia. The size of your step can never be too small. Slowly, step by step, you will bring your dreams to life, feel more energized, and feel better about yourself!