Reach for the Stars… But Start Small: The Secret to Achieving Big Goals

"Reach for the stars!"

You’ve heard encouraging phrases like this for your entire life. I have too.

But what no one ever tells you is that there are about a million things that will get in your way between where you are now and where those stars actually are. Sure, that may seem obvious, but when setting big, ambitious goals, it’s easy to forget just how much has to happen between point A and point B. And when we overlook that? We set ourselves up for burnout, frustration, and—sometimes—abandoning our goals altogether.

Big Goals Are a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Let’s take a classic example: building a million-dollar business from the ground up.

It sounds exciting, right? We see success stories plastered all over social media—people who seemingly just knew how to create thriving businesses overnight. But here’s the truth:

Big goals like this are never achieved overnight.
E v e r.

If you’ve been in business for a while, especially as an ethical entrepreneur, you already know that success is an accumulation of tiny actions. It’s built over weeks, months, and often years of steady, intentional progress. The key to sustainable growth (without falling into the trap of burnout or unethical hustle culture) is simple:

👉 Make your goals so small you can’t fail.

How the Most Successful People Achieve Their Biggest Goals

The people who achieve their wildest dreams don’t rely on motivation alone—because motivation is fleeting. Instead, they break things down into ridiculously small steps.

They look at the distance between where they are now and where they want to be and break down every single step into even smaller steps. And then—just for good measure—they break those down even further.

The guiding question they ask themselves is:

💡 "What is one small thing I can do today that will move me just a little bit closer to reaching my goal?"

Let’s go back to our million-dollar business example. On day one, that small step might be:
➡️ Brainstorm what kind of service or product I want to offer.

On day two, it might be:
➡️ Narrow my brainstorm down to five possibilities.

On day three, it might be:
➡️ Ask three trusted colleagues or clients which idea resonates the most.

On day four, it might be:
➡️ Outline a rough draft of my offer.

Before you know it, what felt like an overwhelming, impossible dream is now an actual business model taking shape—one small, manageable step at a time.

Why Tiny Goals Work (Even If They Feel Oversimplified)

If you’re reading this and thinking, "This feels too simple. Can setting micro-goals really make a difference?"—that’s exactly the point.

Most people set huge, overwhelming goals that require an enormous amount of effort, willpower, and time to complete. And guess what happens?

🚩 They get stuck.
🚩 They procrastinate.
🚩 They feel behind before they even start.

Before they know it, the goal feels too big, the resistance sets in, and the cycle of “I’ll start again next Monday” begins. Sound familiar?

Instead of setting yourself up for frustration, start so small that success is inevitable.

Avoiding Burnout & Overwhelm with a People-First Approach

If you run a community business or are focused on cooperative economics, you know that long-term sustainability matters more than short-term wins. Burnout doesn’t just hurt you—it impacts the people who rely on your business, too.

This is why breaking things down into small, sustainable steps is essential for both your own well-being and the people you serve. Whether you're navigating ethical sales, creating a cooperative consulting model, or offering ethical business consulting, the principles remain the same:

✅ Small, intentional steps build trust and momentum.
✅ Sustainable growth matters more than fast, unsustainable success.
✅ Aligning your business goals with your values means making them achievable—not just ambitious.

What Happens When You Don’t Have a Plan?

Let’s say you set out toward a big goal without mapping out each step along the way.

What happens?

🚨 BAM. Unexpected circumstances pop up.
🚨 You get overwhelmed and spiral off course.
🚨 You feel like you’re back at square one and tell yourself, "It just wasn’t the right time."

And just like that, you’ve reset the same goal for the third year in a row.

This is the trap many business owners—especially those trying to build a business that aligns with a post-capitalist society—fall into. They have big, meaningful ideas but lack a step-by-step, realistic approach to make them happen.

The solution? Keep dreaming big, but when it comes time for action, keep it small.

💡 Keep your long-term vision in mind, but focus your energy on the small things you can do right now to move forward.

The Power of Micro-Goals: Why They’re Non-Negotiable

The beauty of micro-goals is that they remove resistance. They make progress feel so achievable that you’re more likely to keep going.

Let’s compare two goal-setting approaches:

🚫 Overwhelming Goal:
"Build an online course and launch it by the end of the month."

✅ Micro-Goal Approach:
"Write a list of 10 potential course topics today."

Which one are you more likely to follow through on?

By oversimplifying your path to success, you build a foundation of wins that propels you forward. Each tiny success builds momentum, making the next step easier.

And before you know it? You’ve done the thing. You’ve reached the goal.

Final Thoughts: Reaching for the Stars, One Small Step at a Time

If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this, it’s this:

💡 Big dreams require small steps.

💡 Simplicity beats complexity every time.

💡 The secret to achieving your goals isn’t working harder—it’s making success easier.

Whether you're launching a new sales course, navigating the cost of marketing on social media, or figuring out how to reply to bad reviews in a way that aligns with your values, remember this:

🌱 Start where you are.
🌱 Make the goal ridiculously small.
🌱 Keep stacking those wins.

Before you know it, you’ll be standing in a reality you once thought was impossible. And that’s how every big goal is achieved—one micro-step at a time.

What’s One Small Step You Can Take Today?

Drop a comment and tell me—what’s one tiny thing you can do today that will move you closer to your big goal? Let’s celebrate those micro-wins together. 🚀