Taking Small Steps For Good and Lasting Change

A new year is underway. Change is possible when a new year begins just as it is at any time. But there’s something about reflecting on the twelve months that have just ended and committing to ourselves anew as we start a fresh calendar year that makes this time of year feel different. As we start substituting ’25 for ’24, it’s hard not to hope that the change will be meaningful. A dear one recently suggested we might want to stop saying we’re due for a good year because the last few have been so challenging and, as much as we are due for a good year, all of us, life doesn’t work that way. Instead, maybe we can focus on making it a year of small steps in the direction of our choosing and big appreciation for anything that feels good and right.

We don’t need to call our hopes and aspirations for 2025 “resolutions.” We often sabotage ourselves by hitching resolutions to transformations. Big changes may sound like exactly what we need and they may even sound simple, but they’re often too big and overwhelming to make sustainably. Sometimes they’re even too big to launch. Real change has to be achievable. To start, it has to be definable and launchable.

Small Steps to Future You

In an earlier post, I wrote about visioning, the exercise of identifying a vision of Future You at your best. Future You can motivate you to identify changes that will improve your overall health and wellbeing. Future You might even motivate you to take steps to make those changes. But first you need to identify the steps themselves. When the steps are too big, too hard, too displacing, it’s unlikely that you’ll keep taking them. But when the steps, like the goals they intend to meet, are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, your odds of succeeding grow astronomically.

SMART Goals

The first letters of Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound make up the acronym SMART. When SMART goals are connected to your values and the vision of who you really want to be, they can be effective and lead to sustainable change. SMART goals are connected to small SMART steps that you have confidence you can undertake and stick to.

The “S” in SMART, specific, is crucial to remember when you’re starting small. Goals like “getting healthy,” “getting fit,” “losing weight,” “becoming more social,” and “achieving work life balance” are not Specific. They are valid big picture goals but they lack the necessary specificity to make them SMART enough to stick. Similarly, effective SMART goals are open to some sort of measurement so you can track your progress, they are realistic in light of your lifestyle and abilities, they are aligned with your vision of Future You, and they are set for a defined time period. Small action steps that meet the SMART conditions set you up for success. They’re a critical part of the strategy. You can add to them when you achieve a level of comfort and they’ve given you the confidence you need to go further.

Small Steps to Best Health

My appreciation for little things was expressed in an earlier post about finding joy. Big things can come in little packages. Little things often wield unexpected power and influence. Small steps to big health are no different. Small steps tend to be easier than big steps and ease makes action more likely. The more we engage in those small steps, the more likely we are to continue engaging. When progress is measured in accordance with small steps, we’re also more likely to pay attention to the little things, to find joy in them and motivation to continue. Small steps means we can achieve our goals and incorporate some mindful awareness all at the same time. It’s a win-win.

Here’s hoping the small steps you take in 2025 are meaningful to you and aimed in a direction that works for you. Be well!

Musical Playlist While You Ponder This Post

A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke, Changes by Justin Bieber, Changes by David Bowie, A Change Would Do You Good by Sheryl Crow, Change The World by Eric Clapton, I Am Changing by Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls

Thinking and Trying

Something to think about: “It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.” — Chinese Proverb

Something to try: Write a SMART goal for yourself for the next month. Consider: 

• Specific: Have I defined what I want to accomplish and the precise steps I need to take?
• Measurable: How can I track my progress and how will I know when I’ve reached my goal?
• Achievable: Is my goal realistic and attainable?
• Relevant: Does my goal make sense and is it aligned with my vision of Future Me?
• Timely: What’s the time period in which I want to achieve my goal?

Coaching Can Help

If you want to make a change to improve your life but you can’t seem to get started or you find yourself starting to make changes and then stopping or you don’t get “SMART goals” and want to, you might benefit from working with a coach. I’m happy to hop on a 15-minute call with you over Zoom to explain coaching and see if we’re a good fit to work together. This discovery call is free. Reserve your appointment here.