“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
– Martin Luther King
The idea of pursuing a dream is overwhelming. Like most dreamers who take action, there is a huge knowledge gap starting out. The pursuit of a dream eventually fills that gap. You gain knowledge, understanding and clarity by virtue of the multitude of missteps you make during the journey.
The key to taking action on a dream is to stop trying to see the entire staircase but to, instead, focus on the step in front of you. Once you navigate that step successfully, the second step appears, then the third and so on.
Each step you take is a learning experience. Learning by doing forces you to figure out how to overcome the inevitable pitfalls and obstacles that get in the way. The learning you acquire from those pitfalls and obstacles becomes emotional scar tissue on the brain – you don’t forget them. Emotions make learning stick.
So, the goal should not be to over think the steps you need to take. The goal should be to figure out what is the first step you need to take. Then take it. Don’t concern yourself with what you don’t know. No one who pursues a dream knows what they need to know. All dreamers are blind in the beginning. You acquire your glasses that allow you to see, along the way.
About Thomas C. Corley
Yes. One step at a time. That’s what’s really important.