START SMALL - OR STAY STUCK

Sophie Shaw
Jul 2
3 min read

Updated: Jul 13

Smiling woman in glasses with hand on head, sitting against a green leafy background. Text: "START SMALL or stay stuck". Calm mood.

If you're in overwhelm, then this is your reminder to start small, and focus on one thing - because if you don't, you're likely to stay stuck where you are.

I know this sounds overly simple - but if it was, you'd already be doing it, right?

You may be desperate to make changes - you may have a to-do list as long as your arm. And because there are so many things on that list, you get overwhelmed - and do none of it.

And instead of tackling anything on your list, you suddenly find that your nail polish needs re-doing - or you fancy making cookies - or there's a show that needs watching. Or you take a nap.

Anything but the thing.

And then, most likely, you feel bad about not accomplishing anything. And you decide - 'Enough is enough. Tomorrow I'm starting a new regime.'

And you make a mental list of all the things that you're sick of and need to change. Maybe it looks like this:

I will eat healthily
I will stop at one glass of wine
I will do 30 minutes of exercise daily
I will start meditating regularly
I will get to bed on time
I will lose weight
I will stop wasting time on my phone
I will focus properly on my health
I will quit vaping/smoking/drinking
I will join the gym
I will stop spending money
I will get on top of my finances
I will get back into painting/knitting/playing the guitar
I will learn a language
I will tidy that crazy room
I will reply to emails straight away

How many of these are on your list? Be honest. And then be honest about the fact that it's TOO MUCH.

I'm not saying you can't achieve anything on your list - you can probably achieve it all - but not all at once. You can try - but you'll likely quit before you get anywhere.

And then you're back to square one - overwhelmed, sick of yourself and ready to make another big list of everything that needs to change.

INSTEAD - please try this:

1. Pick one thing.

What's causing you the most pain? What's the thing you wake up thinking about? What will bring you the most joy if it improves?

2. Focus on that one thing - and JUST that one thing.

Break it down into single steps. Want to quit a bad habit? What do you need to do to make that happen?

What support do you need? Do you need a coach? A support group? A hypnotherapist? An accountability buddy?

How long will it take you to achieve it comfortably? Be realistic.

Have you got that time free? Can you block that time out in your diary?

What will stop you from achieving your goal? What are the potential roadblocks? What will you do if/when they come up?

3. Keep going.

You'll forget your new resolution. You'll backslide. You'll be too tired. All of this is par for the course.

Keep going anyway. You can achieve anything if you simply don't quit.

Expect to fail regularly. Then carry on again.

Do NOT be tempted to go back to that list and pick 3 more things to add in. Focus on your one thing, and give it your all, until it's just a way of life for you.

THEN, and ONLY then, get started on the next thing.

Now - I know it's never that simple. There are all sorts of other reasons why we resist making the changes we want.

Check out THIS PODCAST EPISODE to hear about those reasons, and how to get past them.

But this is a bloody good place to start. What do you think?

Big love,