Have you ever had a vision be so big that any steps you take toward it feel pale, inadequate and like they’ll never add up? Like the reality of your work, efforts, and results are in and of themselves evidence of failure or mediocrity? The enormity of what’s needed, utterly daunting?

When the gap between vision and the current manifestation of things is big and when you look around at people who are carrying out such visions, such bigness, such impact, anything that’s in the shadow of that vision can seem so small. 

Perhaps you tell yourself, those are big things, but what I’m up to feels like small things, not what I imagine will make the leap. And then maybe you add, why are these small things so hard?

But here’s the thing with things (so many things!)
No one is up to big things. The big things are a cumulation of small things. Small thing after small thing. 

Making the hard choice, delaying gratification, staying with discomfort, having the difficult conversation, taking the risk, getting up, putting yourself out there, saying yes, saying no, taking more time, confronting confusion, seeking solutions, going backwards. One foot. Two foot. Over and over. Moment by moment, decision by decision, pivot by pivot, failure by failure, action by action, response by response. 

Big things are a weave of small things. Let’s not conflate small with easy. Small things are often not easy at all. Especially when it comes to weathering all of the ups and downs. So if it seems small and hard, it can feel like big must be impossible. But putting off the small things until you think you’ve found the one right big thing is a mistake. 

There are stories about big things. And it’s easy to be lured in by them and to hide in their potential. The big break, the viral content, the bold move, the overnight success. Sure, big opportunities and breakthrough moments happen. But making good use of them, and even creating them, comes with doing the small things. 

Here’s to the small, the mundane, the difficult and the generous. Small and committed, we can do big things.

big vision breakthroughs Chela Davison Cheladavison.com small things