Today we are going to look at how do you eat an elephant or even a giraffe. I learnt over the weekend that although a giraffe is a kosher animal, it is not eaten because it is not known where on the neck to perform the shechitah, which is the ritual slaughter that needs to be quick, one strike and painless to the animal. Researching this a little bit more the truth is that the region of the neck in which ritual slaughter is now known and has been defined by halachah, the collective body of Jewish religious laws, so Giraffes can infact be eaten (reference: http://www.kashrut.com/articles/giraffe/). This makes no difference to me because I would never want to eat giraffe meat, not ever.
But it has made me think about a well known saying:
‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.’
We know that the best way to accomplish something big is to approach it in smaller pieces.
It is so important for you to determine your BHAG, big hairy audacious goal. My name for this is a breakthrough goal.
“A Breakthrough goal is a goal that once achieved changes everything in your life or your company’s life. It moves you from total anonymity to stardom, it opens you doors that were closed earlier, it automatically puts you in the top 1% of achievers, and suddenly you become a person that is sought after. Its realization catapults you into a whole new world that you would never have imagined.”
You only need to achieve one single breakthrough goal to completely change your whole life.
Like Jack Canfield, said it in his book on “Success principles”, every person should have at anytime in his life a breakthrough goal, that one goal if achieved will present you with amazing new opportunities, and bring you into a new category.
What “one big goal” would change everything for you?
Whatever it is you decide to make your breakthrough goal you need to break it down into smaller goals. Most people fail to achieve their big goals simply because they don’t break them down into smaller steps. All they can see is this big overwhelming goal they’ve set for themselves and they don’t know where to start working on it! By breaking down this big breakthrough goal into smaller goals will make it far less intimidating and allow you to get going immediately. Every big, massive breakthrough goal can be broken down into what’s called mini-goals.
Every goal can be broken into mini goals. Mini goals should never be too difficult or too long. You don’t want to be overwhelmed by them. It is simply breaking down your big goal into smaller tasks that together will enable you to achieve your bigger target. By creating a series of realistic mini goals along the way, you can also feel a constant and building sense of achievement, spurring you on to work even harder. Every mini goal achieved brings you one step closer to your big goal.
This is what eating an elephant one bite at a time means. By creating small, achievable steps enables you to take one bite at a time towards your goal and eventually after many bites you will have achieved what you set out to do, even if that includes eating a mammoth elephant.
Imagine standing at the foot of Mount Everest and gazing way up through the clouds to the distant summit. How impossible would it feel to climb up there? Now look much, much further down the mountain to the first camp, just a few hundred feet above where you’re standing now. How much more achievable does that feel?
By breaking down your big goal into mini goals, and then taking daily action on them, you create momentum and build your confidence, both of which move you farther and faster toward the achievement of your goals.
Now go work out your breakthrough goal, break it down into mini-goals and prove you know how to eat an elephant! Please don’t eat an elephant for real, my granddaughter loves them as did my mother and it would break their hearts, and you’d probably be sick anyway.
When eating an elephant take one bite at a time. Creighton Abrams
If you need help to determine your breakthrough goal and move your life forward in giant steps then life coaching can help. Find out more by having a free 30 minute introductory session. Check it out here.
photo credit: Melaka via photopin (license)
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