A guest post by Scott McIntyre for Zen Habits

“It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.” - Old Chinese proverb

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Scott McIntyre of Vivid Ways.

Think big. Live to the max. Change the world.

All worthwhile aims, I’m sure you’ll agree. These high-flying statements are meant to encourage us to achieve great things with our lives. But, rather than being an inspiration, do such huge goals just leave you feeling overwhelmed instead?

Sadly, many of us never begin developing new habits because we think a positive outcome will take too much effort. Or else, after we do start to improve our lifestyle, we give up far too soon because we don’t get what we want fast enough. It’s easy to be... More...