You can't eat an elephant in one bite

I forget who said it, but I heard somebody say "You can't eat an elephant in one bite." and the saying stuck with me. It's such a powerful and life-changing concept if you take it to heart.

When you set a big business or lifestyle goal, you don't expect it to be completed the next day. If you expected to lose 30lbs by tomorrow, you'd be constantly disappointed each morning. You'd be delusional, too.

However, if you set a goal of losing half a pound each day you could focus on your food intake, going to the gym, and your sleep schedule and watch steadily over 3-6 months as you shed pound after pound. Eating the elephant one bite at a time, so-to-speak.

You won't be Arnold Schwarzenegger tomorrow, but you could be the guy who runs for 5 or 10 minutes each day before you start work. Keep making progress bit-by-bit and you could run the Boston marathon next year.

Never be disappointed in yourself if you've made progress, no matter how small. The goal is to move in the right direction, not to do it at light speed. Change takes time, improvement takes time. Building a business or new, healthier lifestyle takes time. Focus on the change each moment and each day, not how far you think you should be.

Be a little better than yesterday; that's progress and that's heading toward something good. You'll know where "good" is once you get there.

"The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time in today."