_ Last weekend the Kindle recommended book was called Small Steps, about a guy just out of prison who was trying to turn his life around. I was intrigued and, despite it being a children's book, purchased and read it that day.

It wasn't complex writing, but it was a good example of how effective small steps can be. Theodore, the hero, set himself little achievable targets that he was passionate about. Five small steps, which were: graduate from high school, get a job, save his money, avoid violent situations and lose his nickname. When other, ostensibly wealth-generating, opportunities presented themselves, he weighed them up against his steps and if they didn't fit he tried to avoid getting sucked into them. As the weeks developed, things didn't always turn out as he expected but he tried to doggedly stick to his regimen of small steps. The book ends with him having achieved most of his steps and he sets a whole new set of steps to take him forward. These build on the first five, setting his sights on college and then the University of Texas.

If only life were that simple I hear you cry. Yes, this was children's fiction and might not have reflected the real world, but I think there is a lesson in there for us all. Small steps are useful. Small steps, that might seem achievable from the outset, that take us towards our goals. They might be risky still, a starting of something new, but because they are smaller they appear less hazardous.

And then when they are complete and congratulations are over, set some more steps to take you even further. A good plan. A simple plan. A plan you can remember and so stick to. Try it and see.
 


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