Think Big, Start Small

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Have you ever heard of Think Big, Start Big? I haven’t and I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who is going to tell you to start big. It’s always funny when I hear people say they haven’t started working or doing something because they can’t do it “big” right now. It is either they start big or they don’t start at all. I’m curious, Where did that thought come from?

The usual phrase is Think Big, Start Small for a reason. THINK BIG – Think of something that can improve your situation. It doesn’t even have to be grand. It could be something that gives you happiness, fulfillment, money, or helping others. START SMALL – Begin that “something” that brings you joy. You can’t accomplish everything in a day or have all the resources you need, but you are encouraged to start little by little. You are supposed to take small steps each till you can see the big picture and even achieve more.

Think about it. I don’t think any of our big goals are achievable in a day. If yours is, lucky you! But I think I speak for the majority when I say most of our big goals can’t be done in a day. That’s where the planning phase comes in. You don’t just think of something and start doing the heavy work. You think, research, assess, plan, and start acting. That’s when you divide your goal into daily tasks and start acting on them till you achieve it. For example, my goal is to build a name for myself as a writer. The first thing is to ask myself how I do this. The answer: I’m going to write as much as possible until I’m a successful and renowned writer. So far, only my 215 followers, my friends, and my family know I write. Does that mean I stop? No. This is my “think big and start small” moment.

If you have a project or goal you’ve been stalling on because you want to achieve so much immediately you start, I’m sorry to tell you that you’ll never start working on it if you don’t start doing it. When you get that light bulb going off in your head is the time you start planning. At first, it might seem impossible but you don’t give up until it is thoroughly assessed and found impossible by your standards.

I don’t know what exactly is stopping you from starting. In my case, it was self-doubt that led to my procrastination. Perhaps you are facing the same issue. Maybe you have THAT IDEA right now, big or small; it doesn’t matter but if you don’t start acting today, you’ll remain in the same spot. I stayed in the same spot for a very long time because I didn’t have the necessary equipment to start; maybe that was the lie I told myself to avoid the hard work. It got me nowhere and it won’t get you anywhere. There was no starting big for me. I had to take daily steps until I got to this point. It wasn’t easy but I got to this point and you can too if you just start now.

Don’t do anything major; just start planning today. Get a pen and book, or open a notes app on your phone and write down that idea. Start analyzing, not overthinking it. Think of routes to help you get there faster. Think of what you have that can help you start now or what you can do that can help you get the resources you need.

My friend once told me a story of how her mother started a business worth millions of Naira with merely N2000. She didn’t have it all figured out but she had a big goal to own a supermarket. She started with what she had and what she has today is magnificent. She is still dominant in the market because she started small when she did. If she had waited to gather a lot of resources, maybe someone else would have started that business.

The lesson here has always been the same: Start wherever you are with whatever you have today, and your future self will be grateful you did. Think Big, Analyze the situation, Plan your routes, and Start taking small steps each day. You’ll get there sooner than you think.

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