Don't sweat the big things.

It was Lawrence Bell, entrepreneur and founder of the Bell Aircraft Corporation, creator of the first supersonic aircraft, who said, "Show me a man who cannot bother do to little things and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."

It's easy to look at the big goal and think, holy crap!, how am I going to get there?! It's often overwhelming to consider the distance from where we are to the place or position, or perspective we want to have or be. Add to that the reality that often times people who know you in your current context may find your change to be a bit crazy.

I recently had the pleasure of watching a phenomenal movie called, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. The movie tells the story of a teen who overcomes the overwhelming challenge of her second pregnancy (resulting from her own father), being overweight, illiteracy, and a sexually and physically abusive home life in the projects. She enrolls in an alternative school in an effort to learn to read and write so she can escape a welfare entrenched life and go to college.

I suppose my favorite scene in the movie is when Precious is being tested by her new teacher to read a very small sentence, "A Day at the Shore." Precious is immediately overwhelmed and scenes of abuse and people in her past yelling that she is stupid come to her mind. The teacher presses in and Precious finally decides to try. She starts with one letter and sounds it out, then is able to form the word and in just a few seconds she is through the phrase.

There was nothing remarkable to most people about what Precious was doing in that scene, reading a presumably simple sentence. But for her, this was the doable step, the attainable ability that was in her reach.

Many people are surprised by the reality that even the small steps toward the goal may feel overwhelming. Most of us may set a big goal whether that be starting a new company, a new degree, writing a book, learning a new job. We think that the big goal is the challenging part. But it is never about the end goal, it's about meeting the immediate and smaller goals.

Rather than worrying about the overwhelming distance between where you are and where you want to be, consider spending your energy on the challenge before you today. Sound out the letters and words of your attainable challenge today. Make sure it is a challenge. After too long you'll be surprise just how quickly you were able to meet your intention, which rarely looks the same at the end anyway.

The Benefit of Help

It was John Ruskin who said, "Every great man is always being helped by everybody; for his gift is to get good out of all things and all persons."

Why is it that we will do almost anything, before we will ask for help? We will suffer the most ridiculous of circumstances, emotion, isolation and frustration because we refuse to say three small words, "Please...Help....Me."

But it goes beyond just that simple phrase, doesn't it? It's a realization, an understanding. It really has nothing to do with asking for help. It has to do with an awareness, a recognition that there is no such thing as going it alone. That isolation is unnatural, that by not asking for help you are working against the natural order of things.

Consider one little finger on your hand. It's pretty insignificant in and of itself, right? But with the aid of the arm, the circulatory system, the nervous system, emotion, intention, and thought, it can pen words that can overthrow a civilization.

What if the finger decide one day to try and do it all alone? What if it just decided to never ask for assistance from the arm? It's pretty obvious isn't it? It's not going to be able to do much at all. So why do we often hesitate to turn to other people around us and ask for help? Why is it that we think that we are able to do everything on our own?

And there is another side to the equation, isn't there. The arm can't do a whole lot without the finger either can it? It needs the finger to provide dexterity. And in the same way, when we ask for others to help, we enable them to become something greater than they are on their own. We provide them with an extension of skill, humanity, and effectiveness.

So consider what you need, or are not able to do on your own, then ask somebody with those skills to help. Chances are, when you ask for help, you will not be the only one being aided.