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For a lot of people, making any kind of change is extremely intimidating because it looks like a long road ahead that they’re not sure they’re ready to start walking down.

But the truth is that it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, it isn’t that way because it isn’t humanly possible to travel that whole road at once. Like any other road, you can only go down it one bit at a time.

It’s as though, without realizing it, some people think they have to travel the road sideways, so to speak. As if they have to cover the whole length of the road at once and then, you know, cross the street.

OK, enough road metaphors. The point is that, like anything, making changes has to be done one step at a time. And it’s almost always that first step that is the toughest for people to take.

But the truth is that once most people take that first step, and get started, they see that it is possible to accomplish certain goals and work towards real change.

All you need is a little bit of success at a time. And once you see that progress, it’ll be easier to take that next step, and then the next one, and so on.

I’ve seen it in my own kung fu training, and in the training of others in my school. Anyone who enters the school expecting to be a master in one day leaves once they realize that it’s going to take some work. Anyone who’s really ready to learn knows this already, and sometimes after only one class they’ve seen a bit of improvement, and now they’re excited about learning kung fu. So then they come to another class and learn a little more.

All I did to become a sifu, essentially was go to my classes regularly, work on technique, and then wait for time to pass as it always does. But I had to start with my first step: deciding to go. And then, of course, going.

Unfortunately, we live in a time when there is a desire for a lot of quick fixes that don’t require having to invest a lot of time and effort. Well, it would be great if anything like that worked, but really it’s the exact opposite that consistently gives results.

Why do you think that Alcoholics Anonymous created a 12 step program? And why do you think that they’ve been the most successful organization at getting alcoholics to stop drinking for over 80 years?

They understand how it works, and how to teach the process. And they know that it isn’t the kind of thing that happens overnight.

The first step of any 12 step program is admitting that you have a problem, or, more accurately, admitting that you are powerless over whatever substance or behavior it is.

This will often be the first step in self improvement, also, even if you don’t have a serious addiction. Admitting that you need to make a change is a much bigger step than most people realize. And that’s why it’s so difficult for so many people.

And the next step is sometimes even tougher, and it’s different for everyone depending on the type of change they want to make. It might be contacting a support group, or talking to a job placement firm, or taking a class, or any number of things.

But if you keep your tasks organized and go through them one at a time, you’ll almost certainly see some success. And hopefully that will inspire you to take the next step. I honestly believe that if you adopt that mentality, you can accomplish everything you want to accomplish.

You just need to take that first difficult step and get started.

About the Author:
Mark Yarrobino is the administrator of http://www.learntochangeyourlife.com, a site designed to help its visitors find the best information available for making positive change in their lives. Most of the information is provided in the form of articles and audio interviews with experts in the field.

Keyword tags: self help,self improvement,personal development,goal setting