How Do You Eat An Elephant?

You know when something feels so overwhelming you think, I will start once I know what I am doing.And then you realize that the sheer size of what is in front of you makes you want to do literally anything else. 

So you pivot to something with a clear beginning and a clear end.
Something that requires zero strategy. Like cleaning out the freezer.

That was me two weeks ago. 
I wound up discovering six half eaten popsicles in the bottom drawer.
I just stood there thinking, We need better rules. Immediately.
There are moments in life when a problem shows up so heavy that your brain responds with a very mature strategy,Absolutely not.

You find yourself avoiding it completely and suddenly become deeply committed to unrelated tasks. Meanwhile, the thing sits there, growing heavier by the minute.
It feels impossible because, in the moment, it kind of is.

But I kept thinking about that question, how do you eat an elephant?
For the record, I’m not planning on finding out.
But logic tells me it wouldn’t happen in one sitting.
It would be one bite at a time.

The reason the thing feels so overwhelming is because we are mentally attempting to swallow the entire elephant. We are trying to navigate all of the what if’s and possible outcomes that have not even happened yet.

Your mind keeps saying, I cannot do all of this.
And it is right. You cannot do ALL of it at this moment. 
But you CAN do one bite.
You can make one decision without knowing how the next ten will unfold.

We think clarity comes before action.
It rarely does. Most clarity shows up in the middle of doing. 
Momentum is born from movement.

And before you draft a ten step plan you will not follow, remember, the bite doesn’t have to be impressive. This is the time for embarrassingly small steps that feel almost insulting to your ambition.

The bite might setting a timer and doing the smallest piece.
Or maybe it is writing a rough list of what has to happen, even if the order is wrong.

We don’t start because we are already tired from imagining the entire process.
But starting is its own obedience.
There is something incredibly freeing about saying, I am not solving my entire life today. I am just doing the next right thing.
And sometimes the next right thing is very little. So tiny you almost talk yourself out of it because it feels too small to matter.
It matters. 

Baby steps turn impossible situations into manageable ones.
Those first two words should be taped to your mirror. 
Baby Steps.And over time, bite by bite, you look back and realize the elephant is no longer standing in front of you, blocking the entire view of your future.

So, don’t ask yourself how you are going to fix everything.
Ask yourself what one bite looks like.  Then take it.
 Tomorrow can worry about tomorrow.
Today, just take one single bite and let God show you the next step.