The hill. That project. Your closet. Sculling with your oars off the water. We've all been there – a task, a goal, something that seems so big and out of reach.
Here's a clue to help. I can't remember where I heard it but I find myself repeating it when enormity threatens to shut down my progress. It's simple: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Trite, I know, but very true. It's amazing what you can accomplish by just showing up, every day or every moment. Point Diablo looks like a dot in the distance as I drive over the Golden Gate Bridge, yet I regularly row there, out beyond the Gate, in the semi-dark.
It didn't start out as easy; I vividly remember my first row just to the bridge itself. I was terrified and so exhausted afterwards I lay around the house like I'd just run a marathon (or two). These days, a row to the Golden Gate is my go-to workout.
It's been years of waking up, showing up, and just getting out there. Take a page from this woman's book. She decided to go from awkward to graceful a day at a time, practicing dance moves a few minutes every day. Impressive.
What could you accomplish if you gave it five minutes a day for a year?