Last night I was lying in bed thinking about all the things I planned to do starting this new year…I gave up on resolutions a long time ago, but can’t escape the desire to set goals every January. And shocker, as of January 11th, I haven’t done any of them. Eleven days into the new year and I was thinking tomorrow is a better day to start…

Then, as I was about to fall asleep, it flashed in my mind that getting started really isn’t about the big start. It’s about the many, many, many small steps that we need to take everyday. Once we start taking them, they eventually turn into milestones.

It’s about saying no to your sweet tooth just once a day at first, but eventually more. It’s about one walk around the block that eventually turns into a run. It’s about calling that unhappy, obnoxious customer one more time (for those of us in sales). It’s about answering just one more email or returning one more phone call. It’s about finishing your resume. It’s about cleaning out one drawer each week. It’s about reading five pages a day of the book you want to finish. It’s about taking ten minutes to sit in silence so you can find your intuitive zone.

Alone, none of these steps feels like a major accomplishment. But over time, you’ve lost weight, added a new customer, kept your email or voice mail box clean, organized your house, found a new job, finished a book, and found a few moments of serenity. Small steps will take you to your happy ending, but you won’t get there if you don’t start walking. And yes, I started walking today…very small steps but I started.

What happy ending are you taking small steps to achieve?

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Hunt for Happiness Week begins January 17.