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Motivation Articles  ›  Goal-Setting Techniques

Starting Small is No Bull

Start Slow for BIG Results

-- By Mike Kramer, Staff Writer
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Imagine you’re in Pamplona, Spain, in July. You’re sightseeing, shopping through downtown for that perfect souvenir for your spouse back home (hey, someone had to watch the kids, right?). You notice a crowd. Then a commotion. Then, right in front of you, an avalanche of panicked, spirited men and women sprint by, followed by a dozen confused, snorting, larger-than-you-ever-expected bulls.
 
It seems that you’ve stumbled onto the annual Running of the Bulls--20,000 pounds, 40 hooves and a cloud of bovine dust running full throttle not six feet in front of you. You’re the eager type, so you happily jump in to join the fun.
 
And you’re promptly trampled before you can take five steps.
 
You can’t expect to jump in the middle of something and be up to speed right away. Like the "brave" people who run by, it’s best to be moving at the same speed as the bulls. Yet, sometimes we think we can go from standing still to full speed in an instant and big things will happen.

Even a launched rocket doesn’t start off going 37 times the speed of sound. At liftoff, it starts at just 1 mile per hour. Forget about becoming a workout warrior for now. That will come. Just concentrate on not getting run over by the bulls. Concentrate on having some success along your first path. Concentrate on picking up some speed.
 
Of course, society doesn’t like the slow start very much. Everything’s gotta be fast and furious. From the couch to kickboxing in one afternoon. From griddle to your middle in five minutes. People who won’t go to the dentist will jab needles in their face for a fast way to look good.

The world makes it tough to stick to a big commitment. So use it to your advantage. Get some instant success and direct that eager energy at the same time by starting small. It’s deceptively simple, but it’s proven to work and that’s what counts.

Here are some ways to start small. Choose one of these goals and see how long you can do it every day *:
  • Get up without the snooze
  • Drink 8 glasses of water
  • Eat 2 veggies
  • Eat 2 fruits
  • Eat 2 complex carbs
  • Write in a journal
  • Take a walk
  • Put up motivating pictures
  • Gather motivating music
  • Tell a friend about weight loss goals
  • Avoid using negative words that could discourage you
* Notice that these ideas are very simple. That’s the idea!
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About The Author

Mike Kramer Mike Kramer
As a writer and artist, Mike has witnessed countless motivational stories and techniques. See all of Mike's articles.

Member Comments

  • Great use of visualization in the article. Thanks for the encouragement. - 4/11/2013 8:58:47 AM
  • LEMOW23
    Love this article! Thank you. I needed that. I am plateauing for a bit, but I see I am at least drinking the water almost everyday. :D - 9/11/2012 7:46:44 PM
  • I started on 7/26. My first step was research how many calories I really need a day to lose weight. Once I decided what was best for me, I have been focusing on staying within my range of daily calories. Right now it is about how much I eat and not so much what I eat. Once my body accepts a lower calorie eating plan, I will go on to my next step. Getting overwhelmed only leads to failure and even weight gain. - 9/11/2012 6:30:44 PM
  • SKEELEYMA
    Slowly is the only speed at which to augment real, lasting change. My accomplishment, 3 days into this weight loss journey, is to walk my daughter to and from school. A big steep hill is involved. Good for me -- good for both of us! This is where and how it begins. - 9/11/2012 5:18:29 PM
  • This is the way I started off 15 minutes of walking up to 45 now. I think that is good in 3+weeks. I now enjoy it and feel better about myself and know I'm going to stick with this. - 9/11/2012 5:06:00 PM
  • This is exactly how I started this time- a small commitment to exercise for at least 10 minutes every day. At the end of the first month, I had lost two inches from my waist! Since then, I've continued with the exercise and I now track my food. Thirteen pounds are gone and I'm still going strong! Starting small is the ONLY way to start! - 9/11/2012 12:17:17 PM
  • This was exactly what I needed today. I have always been the "all or nothing" type of person. I am going to work on a couple of small things at first and build up to more. - 8/22/2012 10:50:18 AM
  • BBR2778
    This article really struck a cord. I'm always in a hurry. 0 to 100 mph. great advice in this article and going to take it to heart. - 7/20/2012 9:10:12 PM
  • AMEN, This time around I'm not looking for quick fixes and quick results. This is a life change I'm doing and it's going to take time to reprogram. Thank you! - 7/20/2012 4:56:05 PM
  • That is so so true, that is exactly how I started, i started smll, took teeny steps, now a yr later I'm making gigantic stride, nearly sailing thru really, & I love it!! - 7/20/2012 3:35:17 PM
  • I felt like I was reading about myself when you described jumping in there with the running bulls. Great article, great analogy, and wonderful reminder! Thank you - 7/20/2012 12:48:09 PM
  • This is such a great article! - 7/20/2012 12:21:52 PM
  • Great reminder since I too am re-starting on Spark People! Logged into the site for the first time in months and it was the first article I read. Here's to a new beginning! - 7/20/2012 10:21:36 AM
  • ZAURORA
    Wow! I just re committed to my goals yesterday and have been telling myself about patience and starting small - this is the first article I've read since coming back. Thank you for the reminder! - 7/20/2012 9:55:19 AM
  • I tell someone that I am training to run a 1/2 marathon in February- every day! - 7/20/2012 9:20:39 AM