The “First Step” Secret to Unbeatable Momentum
The following blog was written by Lisa Robbin Young. Find her at www.LisaRobbinYoung.com
I have had the privilege to work with Lisa this time last year, and I encourage you to look her up. She’s one amazing and talented lady! Onward….
The “First Step” Secret to Unbeatable Momentum
I’m sure you’ve heard the quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
I used to get pretty snarky about that quote, to be honest. I mean, what if that staircase leads to nowhere? Or worse—what if there’s a huge drop-off at the top? Then, you gotta turn around and go back down and start over. All that wasted effort!
But then I realized the truth I’ve been sharing with my clients for years: your goal is not always THE goal.
Sometimes a goal isn’t meant for you to achieve. Sometimes, it only serves as the inspiration or motivation to get you moving.
In practice, that means the staircase you’re walking up has infinite pathways. One step leads to another, and suddenly you have a whole new set of stairs to choose from. You don’t need to see the whole staircase – in fact, you CAN’T – because, like Hogwarts’ magic staircase in Harry Potter, it’s always shifting, always changing.
Every time you take a step, you create more options for yourself—sometimes those options look different than what you originally expected.
That’s part of the magic.
Here’s the thing: You don’t have to have the whole path mapped out to take the next step. Believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve mapped out 5-year plans on a month-by-month basis, only to toss them in a storage box, uncompleted.
Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t plan. I’m saying that there comes a point where every plan needs course correcting because you can’t foresee every possibility.
It’s the step that’s directly in front of you that you can see the clearest. Everything else gets fuzzier and dimmer the farther up the staircase you look.
But once you take that step, another one will appear. And then another. And that’s how momentum is built.
I know it can feel frustrating when the whole path isn’t clear. Trust me, I’ve been there. But when I stopped trying to figure out every detail and just focused on the next step—even if I couldn’t see where it would lead—it was amazing how the path unfolded in ways I never could have planned.
Like getting divorced, moving to Nashville, meeting Jim, moving to Mississippi, getting re-married, moving BACK to Nashville (for 10 months!), moving to Indiana, creating a new radio show, and now a reality show!
NONE of that was on my bingo card 10 years ago!
So, instead of waiting for everything to align perfectly, why not take that first step today? Maybe it’s a small action—something that feels aligned with what you know is true for you in this moment.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by trying to plan every move, remember: You don’t need to see the entire staircase. In fact, you’re not supposed to.
Take a step. And then let the next one show up.
The next email will talk about how to keep taking those steps consistently, even when life tries to throw you off course. But for now—take a step, no matter how small, and see where it leads.
I’d love to hear what that first step looks like for you. Drop me a reply and share your thoughts.
Here’s to your next step,
– Lisa