Still Learning from Gandhi: The Power of Small Steps

As we celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, I find myself reflecting not just on his monumental achievements, but on how his life did -- and continues to -- influence my own journey. The Mahatma ("The Great Soul") has been a constant thread in my life, starting from when I lived in Ahmedabad for 2 years, from age 9 to 11).

We lived just a couple of miles from the Sabarmati Ashram, and we did many tours when family visited us. While I didn’t fully grasp the significance of what I was seeing at the time, the memory has stayed with me. I remember my Dad buying me My Experiments with Truth, since I loved reading.

It wasn’t until I was 16, when in my reading of My Experiments with Truth, that Gandhi ji's ('ji' is a suffix for respect for elders in India) teachings truly began to take root in my mind. At that age, like many teenagers, I was trying to figure out who I was and what I stood for. Gandhi's words resonated deeply with me—not because he had all the answers, but because he was so open about his own uncertainties, his struggles, and his constant learning through action. That honesty made me realize something important: life is an experiment, and you don’t have to have everything figured out to move forward.

The Power of Imperfect Action

One of the most profound lessons is the value of imperfect action. We often think that to move forward, everything needs to be in place—the perfect plan, the right timing, complete clarity. But Gandhi’s life showed the opposite. He didn’t wait for perfect conditions to act; he moved forward despite the uncertainty, despite the lack of guarantees.

"Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory." This quote from the book underscores the idea that progress is about taking action, regardless of whether the outcome is perfect or complete. It’s the effort that truly matters.

When I visited his ashram as a child, I saw the simplicity with which he must have lived. At that time, I didn’t fully understand the symbolism of his actions—spinning his own cloth, leading a simple life. These were small, deliberate actions that were part of something much bigger. Gandhi’s strength wasn’t in making grand, sweeping gestures. It was in his ability to take consistent, purposeful steps, even when the path was uncertain.

"My life is my message", Gandhi ji's inimitable quote is crystal clear. It is how you live by example. Do what you say you will. And say what you mean. There’s a natural inclination to wait, to plan, to ensure everything is perfect before making a move. But the truth is, waiting for perfection usually just keeps us stuck. MKG's approach reminds us that the most important thing is to start—to take the first step, even if it’s messy, even if you’re unsure of the outcome. Momentum builds from there.

(I recently wrote about The Power of Step 1. JUST START. Please check the Newsletter edition from 2 weeks ago.)

Learning Through Doing

Another powerful Gandhian lesson is that the best way to learn is by doing. In My Experiments with Truth, MKG shares his journey as a series of experiments—testing his beliefs, adjusting his actions, learning from both successes and failures.

As he wrote, "An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it." This reminds us that learning comes through trying, and that mistakes along the way are just part of the process.

This is a hard thing to swallow for most of us. We can spend a lot of time trying to perfect a plan, but at some point, we must step into the unknown and start learning through experience.

In entrepreneurship, leadership, and personal growth, there’s always a temptation to wait until we feel completely prepared. But the reality is, we only gain that preparedness by taking action. Gandhi didn’t come back to India with a complete roadmap for independence. He learned as he went—by engaging with people, making mistakes, and continuously refining his approach.

This lesson has been invaluable to me in both my professional and personal life. Some of the most significant growth I’ve experienced has come not from careful planning, but from being in the arena—taking risks, trying things, failing, and learning along the way.

The Power of Small, Consistent Steps

Gandhi ji's approach was about persistence through small, consistent actions. Looking back, it’s clear that his progress didn’t come from one defining moment, but from a series of small, purposeful steps. Each action, though it might have seemed insignificant at the time, built up to something much larger.

I think that’s a lesson we all need to keep in mind, especially in a world that often glorifies quick results and overnight success. Real change, whether in business or in personal growth, happens over time, through persistence and commitment to the process. It’s the small, steady steps we take that add up to big transformations.

In my own work, I’ve learned to appreciate the value of these small actions. There have been moments when I’ve felt like the progress I was making wasn’t fast enough or big enough. But when I look back, I realize that the seemingly small steps—those emails sent, those conversations started, those hours spent refining an idea—were the ones that ultimately led to the breakthroughs.

"Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory," he wrote.

Still Learning from Gandhi

To this day, I find that I’m still learning from the Mahatma. His life was a constant journey of growth, reflection, and refinement. And I think that’s the ultimate takeaway: we’re all still learning. None of us has it all figured out, and we never will. And that is okay! Gandhi didn’t claim to have all the answers, but he had the courage to keep experimenting with truth, to keep taking action, and to keep learning from the process.

As we honor his legacy, it’s a reminder that progress isn’t about having all the answers from the start. It’s about being willing to take that next step, even when the path ahead isn’t clear. And it’s about recognizing that we’re all on this journey together, still figuring things out as we go.

"I must reduce myself to zero. So long as a man does not, of his own free will, put himself last among his fellow creatures, there is no salvation for him." So powerful and humbling. How much of this is truly practiced by us today?

What’s Your Next Step?

So, on this day of reflection, I encourage you to think about the next step in your journey. It doesn’t have to be big or perfect. It just has to be forward. If you’re feeling unsure about what that next step is, let’s connect. We’re all learning as we go, and sometimes that first step is easier when you’re not taking it alone.