Eating an Elephant…!
No. This isn’t an invitation to dine on a beautiful, endangered species. It’s more of a metaphor about the challenges of tackling a large project because the scale and complexity of our plans can often prove to be extremely daunting. The more ambitious your goals, the more you may feel intimidated by the sheer size of the project. We look at the mountain we’ve decided to climb and its height and mass and complexities send shivers down our spines. The mountain is clad in uncertainties. The summit might be cloud-hidden and out of sight. Climbing becomes a true test of our skill and determination. But the ascent begins nonetheless with the first step. It’s a useful illustration of how to approach the bigger challenges we face in life. It’s a reminder that each step brings us closer to our chosen destination.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the prospect of taking on a major challenge, you’ll know that the answer is to break the plan into manageable portions and, just like eating an elephant, the best way to proceed is mouthful by mouthful, one bite at a time. Breaking the key tasks into smaller, less intimidating elements takes away a great deal of the pressures and anxieties and restores a welcome sense of being in control. Each day offers an opportunity to record progress and each step reinforces your ability to manage the project in a timely, controlled and comfortable manner. Less stress, more success.
The principle goes further in fostering a practical approach to problem solving. Crises can be dissected before they threaten to sweep everything away in a tsunami of chaos and confusion. A practical, analytical approach favours a more creative response that offers the advantages of balance, calm and a clear-sighted attitude that will help you to navigate the storm without losing control or a sense of direction.
领英推荐
Of course, adequate preparation is a great way to reduce the impact of any crisis but your ability to take a step back and see the big picture, to break the problem down into its constituent parts and manage the challenge calmly and efficiently will mark you out as a leader and a fabulous resource to have on hand during times of difficulty.
?