Stop Going from Zero to Perfect: Why Small Steps Are Your Secret Weapon

I was sitting at my desk this week, trying to figure out why I felt so stuck. I'd been working hard, showing up, pushing through—but I still felt like I was running in place. Maybe you know that feeling?

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: I'd been making everything WAY too big in my head.

Every goal, every emotion, every task—I was treating it all like I had to jump straight from where I was to pure perfection. And the second I didn't hit that impossible mark? I'd spiral, wondering why I couldn't just get my shit together.

But here's what I realized: The problem isn't that I'm not doing enough. The problem is I'm expecting myself to go from zero to a hundred.

When I first started training for Ninja Warrior, I'd look at what the top women were doing and think, "How will I ever get there?" I beat myself up for not being as fast or as strong, for not having all the answers RIGHT NOW. But the truth is, I had to break it down. I started with grip strength, then controlling my hangs, then going across the pegboard—one step at a time.

And this doesn't just apply to workouts.

I've been doing the same thing emotionally. I'll have a hard day, feel anxious or off, and then get mad at myself for not snapping out of it instantly. But you don't go from anxious to empowered in one leap. You go from anxious to "I'm okay," then okay to "I'm hopeful," then hopeful to energized.

You climb the emotional ladder.

So if you're sitting there right now feeling like you should be further along, like you should have it all figured out, like you should be doing more—let this be your permission slip. Permission to start small. Permission to lower the pressure and raise your consistency. Permission to show up at 40% because that 40% still counts.

Forward is forward. It's not about being perfect. It's about remembering that progress is possible, one manageable step at a time.

What's one small step you can take today?