The Next Step Is The First And Only Step
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
The only step that matters is the next step that moves you toward a GREAT LIFE. Thinking about everything that needs to be done to reach a goal is overwhelming. Sometimes you need to let go of all the things that need to get done and focus on the step ahead of you.
About six years ago I set out to change my life. At the time I knew I couldn’t do it alone so I got help. My therapist got me thinking about the man I wanted to be. I had this vision of what my life would be like six months into therapy… When I joined a 12 step program to address my addiction issues I had a vision of what my life would be like six months into recovery… Needless to say I fell short of the goals I had when I started therapy and my 12 step program, but I never gave up. All that mattered is that I kept my focus on the next step. My life is radically different than it was 6 years ago. Each year was an improvement on the last and life just keeps getting better.
How have I been able to transform my life? I live in the vision for my life and take action one step at a time, one day at a time. When I set out to change my health, I focused on one meal at a time one day at time. I decided on what to eat by imagining the man I wanted to be five years in the future. I am today who I set out to become five years ago. After five years, I have a regular meal routine that has given me a healthy body. How do I eat today? I imagine how the future healthy AND sexy Albert would eat! If I think of all the work I have ahead of me, I may never start. All that matters is the next step in front of me.
The toughest part about focusing on the next step is forgetting the last step and not being paralyzed by the thought of the second and third step. All I need to worry about is the next step (clearly I can’t say it enough). I don’t worry about not doing it perfectly, and maybe tomorrow I’ll have to repeat the step and do it better… the point is, I honor the process of accomplishing something from start to finish without cutting corners and by focusing on each step of the journey. What is so cool about focusing on the first step is, it’s always a first step. The moment I take a step, I forget it. Each step is a mountain I concurred one by one. The next step, my first step is the only step and the last step that matters. Every step I take is made in faith and when I occasionally look back I am struck by the miracle of how far I’ve come in my life. Don’t worry about the whole journey you embark on in your life, just take that first step.
