In so desperately wanting to do something grand and impactful with my life, I forget that the little things are what actually count. In setting my sights so high and dreaming I become inactive and as a result I lose out on gaining momentum from my current situation. The opportunities at present, as simple and as insignificant as they may seem are indeed what will lead me to “greatness.”
I remind myself that small steps was how I became an elite athlete, small steps is how I achieved my degree. Tennis matches are won stroke by stroke. It’s bit by bit not any other way. So why should I expect career success to be or look any different? The best part is, I can take as long as I need to get where I want to go. I came across this reflection from Lori Deschene founder of Tiny Buddha that succinctly articulates my situation.
“I started living a life guided by my passions when I stopped believing that purpose meant doing something big. Previously, I thought I needed to change the world, or save the world, or travel the world, otherwise my actions wouldn’t be good enough. This paralyzed me because I had no idea where to start. I realized then that I needed to stop worrying about the big picture–how all the dots might connect–and focus instead of creating that first dot, following my heart. That first dot was one simple tweet, and since then I’ve taken it one passionate dot at a time.”