Moving Toward Change a Little at a Time
How taking teeny, tiny turtle steps creates magic in your life!
If a problem looks difficult, relax. If it looks impossible, relax even more. Then begin encouraging small changes, putting just enough pressure on yourself to move one turtle step forward. Then rest, savor, celebrate. Then step again. You'll find that slow is fast, gentle is powerful, and stillness moves mountains.
Martha Beck
Whenever we’re in the process of making changes in our lives, whether it’s a big decision (i.e., moving, changing careers, retiring, buying a car, etc.) or even if it’s something smaller like cleaning a messy closet, our brains love to tell us that we’re confused, we don’t know how, or that we’re stuck.
We end up drowning in overwhelm and stress because we think we need to get it done quickly and the problem seems way too big; there are just too many pieces to contemplate.
The thoughts of “I’m stuck”, “I don’t know how”, “I’m confused”, etc. that lead to the overwhelm drops us into a state of flight, fight or freeze and we often end up on the couch with a bag of potato chips watching Netflix because it’s just a whole lot easier and comfortable.
As my mentor Martha Beck so eloquently says in the above quote, when we’re in this state of overwhelm, the key is to slow down and relax. Become mindful of your thoughts and feelings; just notice what’s going on. When you take that step back to breathe, it allows your brain to settle a little and then you’re able to get the rational part of your mind back online where it has the space to start creating a plan.
When solving problems and creating change, taking teeny, tiny turtle steps is key to reducing or even eliminating the overwhelm and confusion. A turtle step is the smallest whisper of a step. When first starting something new, it’s important to make the turtle steps as easy and “no brainer” as possible. They take little time and effort and your mind won’t argue with doing them.
They work like magic because they get you going on projects you’ve never been able to start!
A turtle step works best when it’s followed by a mindful celebration of the accomplishment. It’s important to congratulate yourself on every tiny movement forward. Over time, as you relax and each step builds on the last, you’ll begin to notice that you’re making progress and you’re well on the way to achieving your goal or making that big change.
The problem will eventually seem to be much less of a problem than it used to be.
The next time you feel overwhelmed by thoughts that a problem is just too big to handle and your brain is spinning in confusion, I invite you to try the following exercise:
Get comfortable and take a few long, slow, deep breaths.
Close your eyes and notice how you’re feeling.
Once you feel relaxed, begin to visualize your problem as completely solved. What will it look like? More importantly, how does your body feel when you see all that you’ve accomplished?
Now try to visualize moving backward in time from that place of completion. What were the steps you took to get there? Can you break those steps into really small turtle steps?
What is one really small, teeny, tiny, turtle step you could take to get started? Visualize yourself completing that step.
Keep breathing and relaxing as you see yourself doing these simple first steps.
Another way to calm your mind down so you can come up with turtle steps, is to write down everything you can think of that needs to be done to complete the project.
Let’s say you wanted to write a book. What would the first no brainer, teeny, tiny turtle steps look like?
Set aside time on your calendar to start.
Allocate some time on the calendar.
Turn on your computer (or get your pen and paper ready).
If you were cleaning out your closet, tiny turtle steps might be:
Set aside the day and time to start.
Make a list of cleaning criteria (How will you know what to keep?) Note: This may be a project all on its own with many turtle steps. :)
Open your closet and take an initial glance at the contents.
Move slowly and be very gentle with yourself.
As Martha says, “You’ll find that slow is fast, gentle is powerful, and stillness moves mountains.”
What’s your next turtle step towards your dream goal?
———
I’d love to hear from you so please send any comments or questions to me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com. Feel free to share this email with anyone else who may be interested.
Please check out The Journey Within podcast at:
What is stopping you from living your best life? Get out your journal and a pen and take the new quiz on my website to find out:
Are you interested in learning more about life change & mindset coaching from a mind/body perspective? Please email me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com for more information or to schedule a free introductory consultation to see if coaching is right for you. You can also visit my website coaching page.
"I felt at complete ease with Sharon from our first conversation. She has a wonderful, gentle but firm way that made me focus on my thoughts / feelings so I could remove / change to move forward with a completely different feeling to what felt like obstacles. It was great having regular coaching that gently kept me accountable to actioning and moving towards my goals. Sharon has vast experience in so many areas, I felt that makes her an amazing coach.”
— Michelle Carney, East Galway, Ireland
You can access your free Find Your Inner Coach Guide including a guided visualization and journal prompts here:
If you’re interested in more inspiration and community around positive mindset, slow mindful yoga, meditation and mindful writing practices, come join our private Facebook group here: