If you want the enjoyment of good food to last longer, take smaller bites. As much as you might want to gulp down several large bites of something delicious, the excitement gives way to a feeling of eating too much too fast. Eating mindfully has many advantages.
This is also really good advice for making important change happen. If you’e lucky enough to be working with a good coach, they’ll help you appreciate the value of noticing progress in smaller units. This is not tentative. It’s systematic: taking small steps and noticing feedback is a great way to troubleshoot. It’s also a great way to recognize progress and stay motivated.
What if, like most people, you don’t have a trusted coach available as you face a tricky decision or obstacle? You might be tempted to either freeze or throw yourselves into something big. Neither is a reliable path forward. Instead, take smaller bites.
Are you in the best state for moving forward? If you were, you’d already be taking action. The first small step is to move into a more capable state. You could do this by putting yourself into a different environment, connecting to a person with different strengths, or moving your body in a different way. This step is so small that it has no direct impact on the thing that has you stuck.
And yet, as you feel more capable of taking action, it is likely you will start seeing which actions are both possible and helpful. You’ll feel that there is something you can do. And that feeling makes it more likely you will do something.
The next small step is noticing what is different after your first step. It’s just like putting the fork down for a moment between bites. Savour the moment. Then take another small bite.
