Why Baby Steps Matter More Than Big Leaps

Walking the winding road, one small step at a time

Lasting change rarely comes in a single breakthrough. More often, it’s built step by step — ordinary choices that slowly create solid ground.

We want change to be fast. But it almost never is.

Most of us picture a straight road: one big decision, one big breakthrough, and suddenly we’re different. But real growth doesn’t work like that. It’s winding, messy, and often slower than we’d like.

Sometimes we get leaps. But lasting change usually comes from baby steps.

Think of baby steps like planting seeds along a trail. They don’t sprout overnight, but they mark the path forward. Skip them, and the ground stays bare. Take them, and over time you turn a dusty road into something living, rooted, and real.

Baby steps are the unglamorous choices we repeat over and over. Going to bed on time instead of doom-scrolling. Taking a ten-minute walk even when we don’t feel like it. Reaching out to someone instead of isolating. They look small, but they stack. And the stacking is what changes a life.

The danger is in trying to skip over them. When we expect a leap, we end up frustrated, or we collapse under the weight of expectations. Skipping the baby steps is like trying to build a staircase by stretching from the ground to the top step in one bound. You don’t land at the top; you land flat on your face.

Recently I had to step into a role I was nervous about: facilitating a training. My heart was racing, but underneath the nerves was something else — readiness. All the small practices I’d kept up with (breathwork, focus, showing up even when unsure) had quietly prepared me. Baby steps had carried me there. That’s how growth often feels: both anxious and equipped.

So if your road feels winding right now, maybe that’s the point. The winding road isn’t punishment; it’s the path itself. Baby steps don’t just move us forward — they make the road walkable.

What’s one small step you can take this week that your future self will thank you for?

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