Think big, act small

I recently came across a great quote by the Stoic writer Ryan Holiday a few days ago.  As I have mentioned several times in the past, I subscribe to a daily email from Holiday called "The Daily Stoic".  Holiday has also written several short books on Stoic philosophy, which I also highly recommend.  The quote came from one of these books, called Ego is the Enemy.  I thought it was profoundly appropriate.  Holiday said, "We will learn that though we think big, we must act and live small in order to accomplish what we seek.  Because we will be action and education focused, and forgo validation and status, our ambition will not be grandiose but iterative - one foot in front of the other, learning and growing and putting in the time."  Wow.

Think big.  Dream big.  Do not be afraid to stretch yourself beyond your limits.  But on the other hand, act and live small.  A wise man once said that the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.  In order to reach our goals and fulfill our ambition, we have to start somewhere.  Anywhere.  With one foot placed right in front of the other.

When I read this quote, I thought a lot about so-called stretch goals, which the management expert Jim Collins sometimes calls BHAGs, or "Big, hairy, audacious goals".  But I also thought about SMART goals and something called the "perfection premium".  Remember, SMART goals are ones that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.  In other words, think big but act small.  Even the most audacious BHAGs start with smaller scale SMART goals.