Go big or go home is a great line for social media. Just picture it over an image of a guy climbing a cliff or of hands on the wheel of a Porsche.
It works, you know?
But as a piece of advice, not so much.
The problem is that when you go big, you seek greatness.
When you seek greatness, you become a perfectionist.
And perfectionism is a great soil for procrastination.
During one of my favorite Oprah podcast episodes, Cheryl Strayed talked about her desire to write the next great American novel and how it kept her watching daytime TV while living off credit cards.
Because she didn’t feel good enough to write the next great American novel.
When something makes us feel like we’re not good enough, we avoid it. It’s subconscious and so much stronger than you.
Strayed eventually wrote Wild, a #1 NYT bestseller, when she decided to “just write a book. Any book.”
What are you not doing because you want it to be perfect?
Maybe you haven’t started an e-mail list? You haven’t started posting on social media or Medium? You haven’t started submitting to publications & big media?
Or you’ve started, but you compared your results to the results of others and stopped.
Be careful; your greatness mindset could sabotage you in many ways.
You might be saying to yourself:
I don’t have the time. And it’s the truth.
I don’t have the know-how. Also, the truth.
I don’t have the energy.
I don’t have the ideas (you can get my free article idea generator here).
So many people do it better than me.
But really, really, ask yourself: can’t you find the time? Can’t you find the know-how? Can’t you find the way?
Or is there something deeper going on?
Forget about the millions and even the six figures for a moment. Forget the Porsches, the great American novel, or whatever else you dream of….
…and find 10 min per day to work on your book. Any work counts.
Post one article per week. One every two weeks. Whatever seems doable.
Find one client for $100. For $50. One client! You can do this!
Sell one product for $5.
Set a small goal. Tiny. One that makes you feel good enough—nay, amazing—and keeps you moving forward.
Achieve it. Then set another.
Remember, you can’t give us what you don’t have. Ain’t no credit card for buying skills & experience.
But we do want what you have, you know.
Tiny steps add up.
Start now. Go small. Go far.
Happy tiny stepping,
Maya