The Beauty of Baby Steps

Some time ago I was working hard to get my new coaching program off the ground and into revenue when my mentor advised me to offer my program to a beta client, at no charge, as a baby step towards my goal of having paying clients. I really didn’t like the idea, because I wanted to get paid for my value and skill. Thankfully, I was smart enough to follow her advice anyway. When I finally took the baby step, I felt a shift within myself. It was immediately obvious to me that I would be able to take the next step to enrolling a paying client easily, and that is exactly what happened. For some reason, I had to take that baby step first, and then the next, seemingly bigger step was a breeze.

Since that time I have thought a lot about baby steps, and I have come to realize that not all of them are created equal. One man’s baby step is another man’s giant leap, so to speak. And, today’s baby step might be a whole different “size” than tomorrow’s.

What do I mean by this?

Let’s pretend you have an average stride of three feet, and you have to cover a distance of four. There are many different ways that you can cross that span, but it is certain that you will have to take more than one step. Perhaps you will start with a baby step of one foot, and then follow it easily with a three-footer. Perhaps you will do it the other way around. Or, maybe you will use a combination of “baby” and “juvenile” steps. Who knows?

The point is that you will need to break up the distance you want to cover in some way, and that there are a variety of ways to do it. Therein lies the magic of the baby step.

As we grow ourselves as leaders, we are constantly moving through new challenges. You can think of this growth as a journey, taken one step at a time. Sometimes those steps are baby ones. Your movement forward might seem minuscule, but it is just enough so that tomorrow you can cross the gap and reach a new milestone.

There is no predictability in baby steps. Some steps can seem overwhelming to you, and they appear really easy for someone else you know. Yet, your friend is stymied by a step that you don’t even think twice about taking. You have to be willing to take the baby steps that are appropriate for you, and not worry about what others are doing. You can’t even worry about the size of your own average baby step, because every day that will change. You just have to keep taking them.

Do you have a baby step in your future that you are resisting, like I did? When you feel discouraged by thinking of all of the steps you believe you must take in order to reach your big goal, remember to take a deep breath and focus on the next baby one. What is one thing you can do today to move you along?
I encourage you to be willing to take baby steps whenever you need to, and to observe and celebrate them when you do. They are all different, and they are all powerful.

They move you forward, which is a wonderful direction to go.