Breaking Down Goals: One Step At A Time

ByMichelle Garrett
Black professional woman writing down personal goals in a notebook

A wise Chinese sage once said,

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Wise words? But what do they mean to someone who is trying to achieve their goals in life?

I am sure that you have some big goals in your life. Perhaps you’re working towards home ownership, being debt-free, building a savings or taking a family vacation.

I am also sure that you may well be looking at this goal and thinking “How the heck am I going to get that?”

And this is where our wise philosopher comes into play.

Breaking Down Goals: One Step At A Time

Black woman breaking down a goal into smaller steps in a notebook

Pick one of your major goals that you don’t know how to achieve and examine it more closely. Think about the goal and you will realize that it is made up of a number of smaller goals, each of which is in turn made up of other smaller goals. Are you trying to sell your house? Hire a closer to help you out with the finer details. Are you looking for a change of career? Speak to a recruitment consultant and find out what’s what in your industry. You need to know how you do things better for yourself and the best way to do that? ASK FOR HELP.

Grab a piece of paper, write down a major goal at the top, and below it, write down the steps you can take to achieve this goal. In effect, each of these steps represents a mini-goal, and each of these mini-goals can be broken down further if necessary into more manageable chunks.

Do not become obsessed with achieving each minor step on your way to the major goal. You may find that some steps can be skipped, some become unnecessary, and that new steps appear. Review these minor steps regularly as they will change often.

A Simple Example of Breaking Down Your Goals

Black woman reviewing budget and savings plan at home

Let’s say your goal is to establish an emergency fund. Some of the initial steps would be to:

  1. Determine how much you need to save.
  2. Determine where you will save the money (separate bank, separate account, etc)
  3. Determine how much you’re able to save each week, paycheck, or month.
  4. Ask yourself what things can you cut down or eliminate for a short time to assist with reaching your goal?

Honestly, once you start thinking and reflecting, the questions and steps will come. Don’t think about the answers yet. Focus on the steps and questions first, then come back and fill in the blanks.

Black woman walking forward confidently symbolizing progress

You can do this!

Now you can see that every goal starts with a single step and continues with many more along the way.