Have you ever watched a puppy try to do stairs? It is incredibly adorable but also a little nerve wrecking. They build up the courage, put that first paw down, and figure out how to navigate the rest, with the goal of landing on all four paws at the end.
Even after the first venture, it takes them some time to learn something totally new: carpeted stairs vs. tile stairs, taking their time vs. rushing to get where they want to go, and big staircases vs. a few steps. Each new circumstance presents a new need for learning and exploration.
As humans, we aren’t much different in our approach to life. Let me break this down further.
Baby steps build confidence
When my puppy got home, he was immediately exposed to stairs to help him learn. There are a few places throughout the house where there are only two or three steps at a time, so this was the perfect practice arena.
The first time he navigated down each set of stairs, he needed a lot of cheering and guidance. While he was so proud of himself after completing the feat, it still took a couple of days to get him more fully acclimated. However, after a few practice runs, he could confidently navigate the small groups of stairs all by himself.
We face this same reality as humans. Any time we try something new, we usually approach it with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. We concentrate and look for guidance the first few times through before feeling like this new activity is beginning to feel more natural and seamless to us.
Steps become second nature
Soon after my puppy became confident in his ability to do small sets of stairs, he began to add his own twists to doing the stairs. Sometimes a larger toy would accompany him along the journey. Sometimes he’d pause and stand like he was king of the hill. Point being, he generally felt he mastered the stairs and felt he could multitask while navigating them.
This is again comparable to our human nature. As soon as we feel we’ve mastered a task, we look for ways to make it more efficient. We don’t feel that we have to concentrate on each individual step so much anymore and the process starts to blend together and become more seamless. What once required more exertion is now an almost mechanical part of the routine, making us feel we can push ourselves further into something new.
A daunting staircase
My puppy thinks he is the dog version of an “American Ninja Warrior”. If he could talk, I’m sure he’d tell you this himself.
However, when the large staircase down to the basement was opened up to him, he was humbled a bit. You could see the curiosity and apprehension wash over his face all over again.
With lots of cheering, guidance, and safety spotting, he began to make his way down the stairs. You may be expecting to hear that my little athlete puppy bounded down the stairs or remembered his fundamentals of taking one stair at a time. But he did not.
Being overwhelmed by the size of the staircase, he ended up sprawled out across three stairs. He seemingly forgot when his back legs were supposed to move and his front paws ended up two stairs in front of his back paws, rendering him immobile with no leverage. I quickly scooped him up and got him down the stairs, praising him for an excellent first attempt.
Again, we as humans are no different. We begin to become confident in some of the more routine parts of our day or new smaller tasks that we take on. However, when we delve into a new venture or project, we quickly start feeling more pressure, become overwhelmed, and try to skip steps to accomplish what we need to accomplish.
While this may feel that it’s the most productive and quickest way to get in the game of the new venture, it’s actually counterproductive to not adhere to the foundational process that you’ve put in place for yourself.
Leveling up
After a few more instances of getting stuck, my puppy soon figured out how to navigate the big stairs. He returned to his roots of taking one step at a time and now can navigate the stairs relatively well.
Without going back to his fundamentals of how to get down the stairs, my puppy would’ve been hindered from being able to explore a whole different level of the house. He would’ve continued to have the severe FOMO (fear of missing out). And of course, he wouldn’t be able to assist with some of the household chores that he feels he’s an integral part of.
We can all take a lesson from my puppy.
When we start a new project or venture, we need to remember our fundamentals. We need to keep the balance of mindfulness, preparation, and action. We need to remember that we know how to complete individual tasks within the project or venture. Intuitively, we know what we’re doing when we don’t allow ourselves to take on too much too fast.
This analogy is a direct visual representation of incremental progress. When we take one step at a time towards our goals, we can make incredible, consistent progress. When we try to do too much and stray from our fundamental ways of working, we may feel like we are doing more when in reality we are more likely to get stuck and have to start all over again. As Dr. Amber Selking covers in her book Winning the Mental Game (links to hardcover and Kindle), staying consistent in our habits and routines can help us consistently achieve excellence in all aspects of our lives.
Steady, consistent progress will help you level up much more efficiently than trying to tackle too much, getting frustrated, and then having to back and re-calibrate the wheel again. So as you go out and earn those goals today, be a curious puppy. Take one step at a time and see the new heights you can reach.
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Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide, professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences for those that may find them relatable and helpful.