“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” — Mark Twain
The last time you felt stuck, lost, flat, or just generally in a rut — what did you do?
If you’re like most of us, the urge is to fantasize about a dramatic life overhaul.
“I’ll finally get fit.”
“I’ll launch my big idea.”
“I’ll find my passion and go all in.”
But real change almost never starts that way. Instead, the first step is almost laughably small — so small you might overlook it entirely.
I know this because I’ve lived it. For years, I was trapped in the “big leap” myth. My to-do lists overflowed with impossible goals:
“Start cold brew company.”
“Write a book.”
“Find my passion.”
Over and over, I’d get so overwhelmed that I’d quit before I even began.
Things only shifted when I got obsessed with fitness in my early twenties. I desperately wanted to do a pull-up. But I’d never been very strong, and every time I tried, gravity won.
So I broke it down. The first step wasn’t to “get stronger,” but something even smaller: just make sure I had regular access to a pull-up bar.
I bought a doorway pull-up bar that day. It felt almost silly, but it was concrete — an action I could actually take. Every step after that was just as tiny: bar hangs, banded pull-ups, slow negatives. By the time I got my first full pull-up, it didn’t even feel that monumental. It was just the next, tiniest step.
That’s how it works in fitness — stacking up little wins, one after the other. But the same is true in every area of life. The steps that matter most are usually invisible — so small you barely notice you’ve taken them.
No one ever tells you the first step to a new life looks like buying a notebook, texting an old friend, or Googling ‘rock climbing near me.’ But that’s exactly how it starts.
Why Tiny Steps Actually Work
Behavioral science backs this up. In coaching, we use the Stages of Change Model, which shows how people move from “stuck” to “in motion,” Not in one leap, but through slow phases:
Precontemplation: You’re not even thinking about change.
Contemplation: “Maybe I could...”
Preparation: You start Googling, window shopping, asking friends.
Action: The first real move — signing up, showing up, buying the gear.
Maintenance: You stack up tiny wins and momentum builds.
Relapse: You fall off, reset, and start again (this is part of the process — not failure).
Most people stall out before action, overwhelmed by the “big leap” myth. But every story I’ve seen — the people I interview, my own, even the research — proves: the only way forward is a move so small it feels like it shouldn’t count.
Three Tiny-Step Stories
1. John Bucher: Mythologist
When I interviewed mythologist John Bucher, I expected some epic origin story. But his path began with ordinary Friday nights in East Texas, picking out adventure movies at the local video store with his family.
He fell in love with stories and myths, and later, a teacher encouraged his imagination. Later, he accidentally signed up for the wrong college program — and discovered a passion for film.
John’s journey, he told me, has been “more like a hiking trail than a summit.”
“Sometimes it gets dark on the trail. Sometimes you can’t see what’s around the bend. But you just take the next step… and that’s enough.”
Looking back, every turning point was a tiny move: picking a movie, reading a book, saying yes to a new class. No giant leaps — just a series of small steps stacked over time.
2. Megan Giesbrecht: Circus Artist
When Megan felt stuck and uninspired, she didn’t run off to join the circus overnight. Her “step one” was even simpler: she told her therapist the last time she’d been happy was doing handstands as a kid. So she went to the gym and tried going upside down again.
It felt awkward, and she wasn’t any good at first. But it gave her a reason to keep coming back, to play, to experiment. Those daily, nearly invisible sessions got her out of her rut, and eventually, led to her becoming a full-time circus artist.
3. B. Earl: Writer
Marvel writer and documentary filmmaker B. Earl didn’t set out to become a creator at the top of his field. His first steps were simple: he bought a camera, just to see what he could capture. He got a tarot deck. Those low-stakes experiments led to short films with friends, endless trial and error, and — eventually — a new creative identity.
As he put it, “It’s about micro-actions. Every tiny thing you do builds your confidence.”
Over time, those tiny steps — one project, then another — transformed into a career telling stories across comics, film, and beyond.
What About You?
If you’re trying to get out of a rut, or discover a passion, forget the big leap. Start smaller than you think — especially with the step that feels “too small to count.” That’s the one that leads to everything else.
As psychologist BJ Fogg says: “Make the behavior so tiny you don’t need much motivation.”
How it looks in real life:
Get out of a rut: Journal about the last time you felt lit up. Say yes to a new experience.
Find a passion: Write down three things you were curious about as a kid. Buy one book. Sign up for a single class.
Get fit: Buy new running shoes. Walk around the block to make sure they fit.
Be more creative: Spend 10 minutes brainstorming. Open a blank doc.
Every big story begins with a move so small you almost miss it. You don’t have to see the whole trail — just the next step.
What if, instead of trying to upend your whole life to get unstuck or feel alive again, you just made the smallest move you could actually do today?
Start smaller than you think. Most transformation begins with one nearly invisible move. The only mistake is waiting for the leap.
I’d love to know — what’s the tiniest next step you’re willing to try? Sometimes, that’s all it takes.
For going to bed on time: a post-it note with the question, “Is it after 8 pm?” stuck to my computer!