To do extraordinary things, we have to do many ordinary things
Letters form words, and from those words, we craft sentences. To write a great book, we need to type. And it all started with a letter.
The typing itself isn’t hard—coming up with what to write is. And because we couldn’t find a great idea, we never started typing. In the end, "the great book" will never be written.
However, a fantastic book will only be born after a series of shitty books. And writing things that do not make you proud is a significant part of the process. You’ll never be able to write an award-winning book on your first try.
A granular approach to a grand ambition
This analogy can be applied to a lot of things that we fail to achieve. We often think too far ahead; we end up not starting at all.
Stuck with the ambition of achieving a grand goal, we wait for the inspiration to strike—the a-ha moment to arrive. Thinking about it will not make it happen.
Even worse, we also overthink about it, and that will only make it seem harder to achieve. Using our brains to run through a dozen scenarios of disaster is a counterproductive thing to do. It will only hinder us from doing something meaningful about our goals.
To write a great book, we need to type. To build a business, we have to start talking to customers. To finish a marathon, we move our legs step by step.
To do extraordinary things, we have to do something that might seem ordinary a lot of times.
Small and easy
Great things are never born in an instant. Instead of focusing on the distant future, focus on what you can do now to advance forward.
Start with the most minor thing, if not the easiest thing you can do. Don't rush to the end of your destination.
Only after you've done enough of those small things you'll realise that you've taken the leap. And you won't realise it until you take a look back.
You are no longer a person who talks about doing something; you are now a trailblazer. Now, it's time to pick up the pace and move on to bigger things.
I hope you find this inspiring. Remember:
It's not going to be easy,
But it's not impossible.
Your friend,
Brian.