The one day I’ll hit it big mindset
Most of us have this amazing ability to dream about the incredible life we’ll have on day. You know, one day when we win the lotto, or one day when we have that perfect body. One day when we travel the world, or one day when we have freedom from our day job.
I am a dreamer. For me that is both a motivation and a stumbling block. Like most of my oxymoronic life, nothing is linear. What this means is that it is easy for me to get stuck in dreamland waiting for that big thing to suddenly happen, while life quickly passes by and I have nothing to show for it.
The problem with living for one day is that one day never really comes. There is no one day. Only today.
Key takeaway: Waiting to get started is almost always the wrong choice.
All or nothing mentality doesn’t help either
I have been known to be an extremest at times. Not an extremest in the sense of crazy radical beliefs that hurt others, but more so in limiting beliefs that hurt myself. My polarising mindset leaves me wanting something largely unattainable right now and not settling for any less than perfect. As a result I don’t do that thing I should do or use what I have because it should be better.
This has a major impact on getting anything meaningful done and often keeps me in a state of inactive paralysis.
Examples from my life include:
- Not starting something because I don’t have the perfect idea
- Not finishing something because it’s not turning out the way I dreamed it would
- Not buying something I need because I want the top of the range, super duper, newest, best, latest, ultimate, nothing like it, cost a fortune thing – instead of getting something that is good enough.
- Not sharing my work or an idea because it is not ‘good enough’
- Not eating well because food is comfort
- Not working out because it takes effort and results are slow
Key takeaway: Waiting for something to be perfect is almost always a bad idea.
That’s where increments change the game
Increments are powerful little concepts. When you make incremental improvements you actually get to your goal a lot quicker than waiting for the big dream to land.
I like to think of increments like this…
Let’s say you want to build your own house. Instead of waiting to feel motivated, strong or energised enough to make it all happen at once, you take the smallest step you need to get started. Once you get started you take the pressure off by telling yourself you only have to lay one brick a day – no more than that. If you laid one brick every day for a year, that would be 365 bricks laid – not bad.
The truth however is if you do lay a brick every day, there will be days you’ll enjoy the task and momentum will keep you going. That one brick may turn into a hundred bricks. On days where you’re just not feeling it, just laying that one brick is good enough and keeps the habit strong. When you look again you have a house that felt like less of an effort to build.
Key takeaway: A few small things done every day become big things eventually.
Increments make things achievable
Those big dreams will always stay big dreams unless you break those monsters down into smaller monsterlings that allow you to take daily incremental actions.
This analogy can be used to improve any part of your life. Here’s how it has improved mine…
- I now move my body every day, even if its a tiny bit, like a walk around the block. For me it’s about consistency not intensity.
- I stretch several times a day for short periods, that keeps this middle-aged body a little more usable.
- I track my meals in a food diary. Not because I am anal about what I eat, but more so to remain conscious of the types of food I eat, the portion sizes and the effect they have on me.
- I try do one essential task at work every day that pushes the needle. Not the urgent task, the important one.
- I get a few minutes of sun on my skin as often as I can. A daily dose of vitamin D – the happy hormone.
- I have automated my retirement investment savings. Less thinking about it and more incremental growth.
Key takeaway: Small things are easy to start and help you maintain momentum.
Incremental thinking is part of the agile mindset
I work as part of an agile digital team. While learning agile methodology and obtaining an agile certification, the most apparent thing that presented itself is the concept of breaking down bigger pieces of work into increments.
By breaking things down into increments at the smallest level, you’re more likely to achieve them and deliver value to the customer as quickly as possible.
I am not going to talk too much about agile – There are more than enough resources out there to keep you engaged (or bored) for several lifetimes. I mentioned it however because the principles are very similar and can apply to life more broadly, not only to building software.
Drawing connections from seemingly unconnected areas of life is something I enjoy doing.
Key takeaway: Applying an agile mindset to other parts of life can be beneficial.
My incremental progress manifesto
- Improvement is a daily practice, not a destination.
- Balance matters more than perfection.
- Challenges are opportunities for growth.
- Meaningful change happens through persistent, mindful effort.
- Small, consistent steps create significant transformation.
Quotes about increments that I really like
“It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.”
― Louis Sachar
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
― Confucius
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”
― Edmund Burke
“Unwavering incremental change can create remarkable and monumental results.”
― Ryan Lilly
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
― Desmond Tutu
Featured photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash