The Power of Small Steps: Why One Tiny Action Can Change Everything
Hi, friends!
Have you ever felt completely stuck? Like you have this massive goal sitting in front of you, but instead of feeling fired up to chase it, you feel frozen? It’s not just a lack of motivation, it’s like your brain straight-up short-circuits the second you start thinking about everything that needs to happen before you can reach the finish line. And so, instead of making progress, you do… absolutely nothing. Maybe you scroll through Instagram, convince yourself you’ll start tomorrow, or get lost in a Netflix spiral while your dreams just sit there, collecting dust in the background.
I know this feeling all too well.
And if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably judged yourself for it. You’ve asked yourself, Why am I like this? Why can’t I just do the thing? And then, because your brain loves a good spiral, you start wondering if maybe you’re just not meant to do whatever it is you’re trying to do. Maybe you’re not disciplined enough, not smart enough, not lucky enough. Maybe other people are just wired differently.
But here’s the truth: It’s not you. It’s the way we’ve been conditioned to think about success. We tend to see it in extremes: huge, dramatic, all-or-nothing changes. The fitness influencer who went from couch potato to six-pack abs "overnight." The entrepreneur who quit their job took a massive risk and made six figures in their first year. The person who somehow found the willpower to completely overhaul their life in a single, cinematic transformation.
And because those are the stories we’re fed over and over, we start believing that if we can’t make a big leap like that, then we’re failing. That if we’re not able to go all in, then we shouldn’t even bother.
But the truth? The people who actually succeed aren’t the ones who wake up one day and magically become a different person. They’re the ones who start small, even when it feels pointless, and stay consistent.
This post is about exactly that. It’s about how taking one tiny action today, no matter how insignificant it feels, can set off a chain reaction that shifts your entire life in ways you can’t even imagine yet.
Why Most People Stay Stuck
I want you to imagine two people standing at the bottom of a giant staircase.
One person is staring at the steps, waiting for the perfect moment to sprint up them all at once. They’re caught in a cycle of overthinking, making excuses, planning every tiny detail, and convincing themselves they’ll start as soon as they’re “ready.” They’re doing everything but moving forward.
The other person? They just take one step. Then another. And another. No waiting for the perfect moment, just action, even if it's small.
Who do you think reaches the top first?
It’s so obvious, right? The person who started moving. But here’s where most of us go wrong, we get stuck in that first person’s mentality. We wait until we feel fully prepared, confident, and perfectly ready to take that big leap. The problem is that we can spend years convincing ourselves that we need more time, more knowledge, more resources, or more “something” before we can even begin.
We tell ourselves things like:
“I’ll start my business once I’ve taken every course and know exactly what I’m doing.”
“I’ll get in shape once I have the perfect workout plan, the cutest gym outfit, and two free hours a day.”
“I’ll quit my toxic job once I have a fully mapped-out five-year plan.”
And guess what? That day never comes.
We think we need everything in place before we move, but that’s the trap. Perfectionism is just fear in disguise. It’s a way for us to stay comfortable, avoid discomfort, and shield ourselves from failure.
If we never take that first step, we also never give ourselves the chance to succeed. If we keep waiting for the “right time,” we’ll be stuck at the bottom of that staircase forever. And the longer we wait, the harder it gets to start.
There’s no such thing as the perfect moment. Things will never be perfect, and that’s okay. We learn as we go. We figure it out with every step we take. Success isn’t about waiting until everything is aligned perfectly. It’s about taking action, even when it feels imperfect or messy. So, stop overthinking and waiting for the stars to align. It’s the small steps, the ones we take right now, that lead to real progress and, ultimately, success.
The Science Behind Small Steps
I’m not just making this up, there’s actual science behind why small steps work, and it’s fascinating how our brains and habits are wired to support this kind of approach.
The Zeigarnik Effect: Your Brain Wants to Finish What It Starts
Have you ever noticed how an unfinished task lingers in your mind like an annoying song that just won’t leave? You can’t stop thinking about it. That’s The Zeigarnik Effect, a psychological principle that says unfinished tasks create mental tension, pushing us to complete them.
What’s amazing about this effect is that the hardest part of any task is just starting. Once you take that initial step, your brain naturally becomes focused on finishing it. So, let’s say you commit to writing just one sentence. Your brain, now invested in the task, will likely push you to write a whole paragraph. If you simply put on your sneakers for a five-minute walk, you might find yourself going for 15 minutes instead. This is because momentum takes over once you begin. And the cool part is, your brain wants you to succeed. It’s working for you to complete what you start. So when it feels like the hardest part is just getting going, now you know why.
The Two-Minute Rule: Make It Too Easy to Say No
James Clear talks about this concept in Atomic Habits. It’s all about making your new habit so small and simple that it feels almost impossible to say no to. If a habit feels easy enough to do, you’ll just go for it.
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Instead of setting a huge goal like, “I’m going to work out every day,” break it down into something ridiculously simple, like “I’m going to do one push-up.” Or if you want to read more, instead of telling yourself, “I’m going to read a book a week,” just commit to reading one paragraph. Even for big goals like starting a business, you could say, “I’m going to research one website today.” It sounds way too easy, right? But that’s the point.
Once you’ve completed your tiny task, it’s so much easier to keep going. When you take the pressure off, you make starting feel effortless, which sets you up for success. You might find yourself doing more than you planned because you started small, and that’s the magic of the Two-Minute Rule.
The Compound Effect: Tiny Actions Add Up
Darren Hardy wrote an entire book about this called The Compound Effect, and it explains how small, consistent actions build up over time to create massive results.
Let’s say you have two people:
Person A drinks soda every day, skips workouts, and spends hours scrolling through social media instead of focusing on their goals.
Person B swaps soda for water, walks just 10 minutes a day and spends 30 minutes learning something new.
At first, you wouldn’t notice much of a difference. But after a month? Maybe you’d see some small shifts. After a year? Person B is thriving, seeing health improvements, learning new skills, and making real progress toward their goals, while Person A is stuck, or worse, sliding backward.
Neither of them made dramatic changes, but Person B made small, consistent decisions that added up to big improvements. These tiny actions compound over time, and it’s incredible how much impact they can have when you stay consistent. It’s about building momentum, one choice at a time, and letting that momentum carry us to places we couldn’t have imagined.
How to Take Your First Small Step (A No-Excuses Guide)
Still feeling stuck? Let’s break this down into something you can actually do today.
Step 1: Pick a Goal
What’s something you really want but keep putting off? Write it down.
Step 2: Shrink It Down to the Smallest Possible Action
Now, break that goal into something so small it almost feels too easy.
Want to start a blog? Buy the domain.
Want to get in shape? Walk for five minutes.
Want to write a book? Write one sentence.
Want to start a business? Post one thing on Instagram.
Step 3: Do It Today (Yes, Today)
Not tomorrow. Not next Monday. Today. Because the longer you wait, the harder it gets.
Step 4: Track Your Wins
Even the tiny ones. Keep a note in your phone or a journal and write down every small step you take. Seeing progress tricks your brain into wanting to keep going.
Step 5: Keep Going
One step today. One step tomorrow. One step next week. Before you know it, you’ll look back and realize you’ve covered so much ground.
Final Thoughts
If you take nothing else from this, take this: Big dreams don’t require big, dramatic actions. They require small, consistent ones. You don’t have to have everything figured out right now. You don’t need to feel 100% ready to take action. All you need to do is start. Seriously. The hardest part is often just getting that first step in motion. Once you do that, everything else becomes easier. It’s like opening a door that leads to so much more.
So, what’s one small step you’re going to take today? It could be something simple, like sending that first email, putting on your workout shoes, or researching one thing that’ll move you closer to your goal. Drop it in the comments, I’d love to hear what you’re up to!
And hey, if you want more motivation that doesn’t sugarcoat anything and advice that’ll help you build a life you actually love, make sure to sign up for my free newsletter here! It’s all about taking action, big and small, and celebrating each win along the way. Let’s make it happen together!
