In the past, I’ve put off dreams and desires. I’ve thought, "One day I'll take that trip," or "I'll have that home". Quite frankly, it was a way of thinking left over from the retirement-minded generation. I've come to understand that when I realize there is something I want to achieve, I can either tell myself that I can have that one day or I can start right now and make today day 1 of achieving my goals.
The Empowerment of Day One
When we say one day, it can seem way off in the distant future and a bit fuzzy. For me, it seems like a closed door. It is something that I want to obtain, but I'll get around to it later. It could be because I don't have the time or the resources at the moment to see it to completion. Now, I tell myself that today is the first day and the first step in achieving my goal. This is how I take hold of my goals and dreams.
The Best Time to Plant a Tree
There is a Chinese proverb I love that says, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago and today". The notion is that trees are great; they provide numerous benefits including shade and fruit...if you planted them 20 years ago. However, if you didn't plant trees 20 years ago, then there is no better time than the present. I believe this a metaphor for our lives. It is representative of nurturing our dreams and who we are as a person. If we don't start our dreams today, then we will not be able to reap the fruits of our labor tomorrow and for years to come. This brings me to the idea of baby steps.
Nurture Your Dreams One Baby Step at a Time
I love the collision of Day One and The Best Time to Plant a Tree. In my experience, if you do a little something every day/week on your goals, then you will reach them. Baby steps makes me think of the 1991 movie What About Bob? with Bill Murray. His character has a range of extreme phobias that his psychiatrist is helping him work through. He would repeat over and over "baby steps, baby steps, baby steps". In the movie, he would do this, just to get to the front door, down the street, and eventually to his psychiatrist's vacation home.
In my opinion, baby steps do not have to be perfect. You may not even know what the next step will look like until you get there or what the exact result will be and that is okay! Every baby step gets you closer to who you want to be and how you want to show up. This has immense value in and of itself!
Change My Path
I ask myself, "What baby steps can I take to change my path for the better?" I do not believe that there any right or wrong answers, just as I believe there aren't any right or wrong paths. Paths are all very much equal, they are just different. Every person's journey is different and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I believe that whatever seed you plant, you will get what you need out of it. It will always be something incredible that you are immensely thankful for that shapes your life.
I strive to plant my seeds at the moment and see today as Day One versus One Day! Every little baby step counts in achieving who and how you show up and has value in and of itself.