Dream Big But Do Small

“When did you feel like you made it?” - a common interview question I get

When asked this, I try to point to things that people would classify as “big breaks.” Like when we had a story on the TODAY Show, or when I got my first big speaking gig, or when Khloe Kardashian wore our headbands and created a PR storm, or when I got my book deal with Harper Collins or when we officially donated headbands to every children’s hospital in America and 15 countries. Or when I successfully ate a dozen donuts competing in the Krispy Kreme Challenge. You know, history-book-worthy stuff. 

But to be completely honest, although all of those moments were great, none of them felt like I was stepping through a golden gate into a club of people who “made it.” I didn’t feel a weight of release off my shoulders and high five other people and be like YES! We made it! Do they serve snacks here?

Therefore, listing off those big wins to answer that question doesn't feel right. But when I look back from the moment when I started Headbands of Hope out of my college dorm room to now, there wasn’t one big thing that I can point to that put the wind in our sails and off we went. In fact, it was lots and lots of small things that got us here. 

So here’s what I’ve come to realize:

Where we’re standing has less to do with our big breaks and more to do with the summation of our small actions.

Big breaks: getting press, revenue milestone, new title, accolade, promotion, getting into a major retailer, celebrity endorsement, major speaking engagement

Small actions: buying the domain, working with a mentor, getting up early to work on your idea, collaborations, creating valuable content, building relationships, setting boundaries, sending thank you notes, keeping lists etc. 

Behind every big moment are thousands of small actions it took to get there. So it’s not the big moments we should hope for, it’s the courage and discipline to do the small stuff. 

One by one. Little by little. Day by day. All of these eventually add up to something big. So don’t discount the small things, in fact, the small things are what you should focus on the most. 

Writing Chasing the Bright Side, I didn’t sit down and say "okay, time to write a book!” Instead, I sat down to write a chapter, or even a few paragraphs. Eventually, all of those small moments of writing turned into a 55,000 word book, which you can read the first two chapters here. 

Doing small doesn’t mean you’re not dreaming big. Give yourself permission to do the small things and celebrate them along the way. 

Remember, your "big break” is really just a fancy name for one single moment that was triggered by a collective of smaller moments.