"Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned."

"Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned."   I saw this on a business sign the other day.  I have been a bit overwhelmed lately as I think about some of the goals that I would like to achieve this year.   When I look at the big picture, my first instinct is to shut down and crawl into bed.   Has anybody else ever felt that way?

It is easy to get excited about dreams and plans, but it is not so easy to follow through at times.   We need to learn to take it a step at a time, even if we are taking baby steps.   I have been a book coach for a client recently. She is very close to being finished with her first book. It has been a few years since my first one has come out, but as I was walking her through the process, her emotions took me right back to the first time I was trying to figure it all out. I had a dream and that was for my book to be in print. That's all I wanted. Was that too much to ask?!  I was focused only on the big picture and I was not being very patient.

Last night, I watched previews of the movie Everest and one of the men being interviewed was asked why he would want to even attempt such a task. He stated that it was about conquering.  We all have fears or insecurities over which we want to be victorious. There are things that we want to prove that we can do. We want to make the most of every opportunity.   I realized in that moment that writing has become my Everest.

Just like conquering that mountain physically, the climbers had to be in shape, they had to have a plan, and they had to be prepared. They couldn't just take any path. They had to study that mountain, gaining knowledge about the risks and the design of the peaks.

There were a million little steps to get to the top of the mountain before me.  My client was quickly experiencing the frustration of each of those steps.  There was an order to the process that had to be followed exactly or it would not work. She had to do research and make a plan of action. She was slowly traipsing up that mountain. Some days, the steps would come easy and everything lined up. Other days, she felt that she was taking two steps back or had to be at a standstill in the middle of the mountain  as a storm passed.

It is a very accomplished feeling once all of the small deeds are done.  I love to make lists just so I can put a check next to the items that I have completed.   At the end of the day I can see that I actually did something.  An accomplished feeling is great, but there is nothing that compares to the freshest of air at the top of that mountain! When the great deed that was planned is now accomplished because of all of the small deeds that were done, it is a feeling of absolute victory!  Stay focused on the small deeds and conquer your Everest!