Stepping Stones

a means of progress or advancement

A stepping stone is defined as something that helps in progress or advancement. The internet is full of motivational content calling on us to go for that big goal, or make that big change.

The reality is that we should strive to make those big moves in life as fast as possible. But oftentimes, those things are achieved via some kind of stepping stone. Some smaller first step. By creating a path that leads to that bigger goal, broken down into manageable steps.

Stepping stones often come in looking like compromise, and everyone hates to compromise. But sometimes it’s just the price we pay to keep moving forward.

The upside is that those compromises often turn out to be better than we had imagined they would be. While not perfect, they move the needle a bit further in the direction we want to go. It’s about balancing the possibility of regret for the decisions not made, and setting yourself up for success.

Where you want to be may not be the place that sets you up for future success. Remember to employ long term strategy while chasing big dreams. It’s the 20 year, multiple decade, long term game. Always.

Sometimes a one or two year stepping stone that seems like a detour is what it will take to set yourself up for decades of future success.