Agile Mountain Climbing

Big goals, in many ways, are like mountains. They are daunting, arduous to climb (and well worth the view from the top). They capture our imagination and inspire bold action in ourselves and others just by being. Many gaze up at their peaks determined to reach the summit, but all too often, fall short for one reason or another.

Our struggles maintaining motivation when taking on large initiatives often stem from over-focusing our energy and attention on the end result, rather than the next step we must take to get there. We can get so overwhelmed by the sheer size of what lies ahead, frustrated by slow progress, and tripped up by unexpected pitfalls, we become demoralized long before we ever get close to the finish line. When this happens, it is because we have forgotten that big things are never accomplished with a single herculean effort; rather, they are overcome in progressive iterations — tackling a series of smaller tasks that bring us one step closer to the summit.

When you break large objectives into small, measurable, achievable tasks, suddenly the mountain doesn’t seem so insurmountable. You start to think, okay, yeah…I can do this. Taking the journey step-by-step will will allow you to adapt when plans shift and celebrate milestones along the way. Side note: Seriously, don’t forget to celebrate the milestones — they are critical for maintaining morale and reinforcing positive change. This isn’t to say you should allow yourself to lose site of the big picture, just don’t let the magnitude kill your momentum.

Co-authored by Jessica Wilson