Baby Step: An act that makes a very small amount of progress toward achieving something.
I was reminded recently of how much each of us expect big things out of ourselves and others. We expect to see quick and big results and if we don’t see or feel them, most of us dismiss any act that is moving ourselves forward.
Isn’t that an interesting observation? Why is it then, when a baby is starting to learn how to walk, we get so excited for that first step? The baby falls down, and yet, we don’t dismiss the baby because they didn’t get walking on the first try.
I know people that have ignored their health for years, and when something serious comes along, they want to quickly treat it, and get back to work. Why is that? It took years to get seriously sick, your body constantly trying to keep up, ignoring the signs and the communication. How do you expect to get healthy if you don’t take baby steps to get there?
What about going through a traumatic life experience? Being fired, divorce or relationship break up, flooding of the home, fires, death of a loved one, or other major life experience? Many of these are stop you in your track’s experiences.
Let’s consider for a moment, to slow down our viewing and mindset. Oh, I get it, life doesn’t slow down does it, the bills don’t stop coming in, the responsibilities don’t take a day of rest and so on. However, you get to choose to take time to reflect. A mere five minutes can do wonders to re-examine what is happening in your life. I encourage you to look at the bigger picture, see in your mind’s eye, observe your behaviors, thought processes and beliefs.
It takes bravery to deal with these life altering moments and see the signs and inner wisdom. What about, reclaiming boundaries, or learning about how to incorporate them in your life? Baby step.
With the cloudy days, depression and sadness can creep in making one lethargic. Consider taking a shower or bath with a new soap that smells wonderful and heightens your senses? Baby step.
Does fear play a large part in your life? I get it, no, I really do. I needed to befriend fear so that it wouldn’t take over my life. It took many, many baby steps so that I could work with fear and confidence in a balanced way.
What is going on in your life right now that you wish was moving faster, or that you minimize the work you’ve done to get to where you are today? Take time this week, notice the small, really small baby steps you’ve taken to get to this place.
Remind yourself, you get to be your own cheerleader! Cheer yourself on, even if that first baby step happens and then you “fall down”. There is determination there and you get to embrace it!
Remember, as a baby, you found the determination to figure out how to walk, you didn’t give up.
As always, I’m here, to help explore and brainstorm on ideas of how to make those baby steps a bit more fun, interesting and expansive!
