Have you ever had the experience of knowing what you really wanted, but having no idea how to get there from here?

I know I have.  It can be really frustrating!

I’d know what the end result was that I wanted, but didn’t know all of the steps it would take to make it happen. So I’d get overwhelmed, I’d stall, and I wouldn’t do what it took to get to my goal.

Then I had an interesting thought. I just had to turn on my headlights!

Let me tell you what I mean.

Let’s say you were driving in the evening from Los Angeles to San Francisco.  If you took US 101, it would be about a 430 mile drive.  Now, you would not be able to see all 430 miles of that road. In fact, once you pulled out of your driveway and turned on your headlights, you’d only be able to see about 180 feet in front of you.

Yet, we don’t let that stop us!  We don’t get paralyzed by fear. We don’t sit there and worry, “What’s going to happen when I get to the end of this 180 feet—I won’t be able to see anything!?!”  No, we simply drive the illuminated section of the road, and trust that when we get to the end of the part that’s lit, the next section of road will be illuminated as we move forward.  And that’s how we do the whole 430 miles—180 feet at a time!

I realized that this was exactly what I needed to do with my business goals! I needed to set the goal, lay out the steps I could see in front of me, and trust that as I got toward the end of the part that was clear to me, the next steps would become evident. And they always do!

I like to begin by asking myself “What’s the best case scenario?” And then I figure out the first step to take me in that direction.  And I do that step.

It’s can work the same way for you. You do what you can in the part you can see, and trust that when you get to the end of the part of the path that’s illuminated, you’ll see the next part of the path…the next step on the journey. That’s the way it works. 180 feet at a time.

Everything does not have to be perfect before you start!  That’s a recipe for staying stuck, a recipe for never moving toward your big goals.  You just have to “chunk it down”.

Several years ago, I did the Avon 3-Day Breast Cancer walk—60 miles over three days.  I was overweight, not at all fit, and it was a huge goal.

I “turned on my headlights,” and used this approach. The first day, I looked at the event website, and developed a training plan.  Didn’t walk an inch.  The next day, I went and bought walking shoes.  Still didn’t walk.  The third day, I walked around the block.

I remember the first time I walked a mile.  I was doing the happy dance.  I didn’t worry about how I’d walk the other 59 miles.  I was just doing it “180 feet at time,” as far ahead as I could see. By late spring, I was training in Redstone Canyon 6 ½  miles up, and 6 ½ miles back down.

When August came, despite the record-setting 100 degree plus temperatures all three days, I was able to walk every one of those 60 miles.  I met that goal,because I just did the next thing that I could see to do.

I apply the same principles to my business goals.  So here are a few tips:

1.  Set big goals. Don’t worry if you don’t know every step you need to take to reach them.  Just “turn on your headlights,” and do what’s in front of you.

2. Be willing to change. It’s impossible to reach a big goal without learning and growing, and becoming even more.  Get ready to grow!

3.  Celebrate your successes along the way. It helps build momentum and excitement.

What methods have you used successfully to break out of overwhelm and “stucked-ness” to go after a huge goal? Please share them and add your other comments below!

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