A man moves a mountain by carrying away small stones, goes an old Chinese proverb.
Aim high, they say. Dream big. Set massive, audacious goals.
That's the gospel of business and entrepreneurship.
Now, let's challenge that.
Big, flashy goals are attractive but often useless.
Yes, you read that right.
Consider this.
A flashy goal is a mountain peak, shrouded in clouds. You want to conquer it. But it's miles away, and you've barely started walking.
Ask James Clear, author of Atomic Habits.
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."
Big goals without the right system? Just daydreams.
So what's the antidote?
Instead of asking: "What's my monumental goal?"
Ask: "What's the one marginal gain that moves my vision forward today?"
The idea isn't new.
Remember the story of British cycling?
One man, Dave Brailsford, revolutionized it with his philosophy of marginal gains. He didn't aim to win the Tour de France in one go. Instead, he sought a 1% improvement in everything they did.
And guess what?
In just five years, his team clinched the Tour de France title. A win not due to a single, massive leap but a series of small, calculated steps.
Marginal gains over monumental goals. That's the ticket.
Sounds counterintuitive?
Perhaps, but here's the twist.
A marginal gain isn't about the size of the achievement.
It's about momentum.
Every tiny victory is a push forward, an inertia breaker, a stepping stone on the path to your big goal.
So next time you're spellbound by a big, flashy goal, take a step back.
Then, take a tiny step forward.
Find your marginal gain for the day, and claim it.
Because those small stones you carry each day?
That's how you move your mountain.
Remember,
"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out," (Robert Collier)
Your true giant isn't the goal you're aiming at, but the tiny, consistent gains you make every single day.