246 - Findging Your Next Best Step

Sep 9, 2025

Life can feel overwhelming with too many choices. Instead of grand plans, learn to identify and take your next best step. By categorizing areas like health and relationships, clarity emerges, guiding your small actions. Remember, progress beats perfection—it's okay to start small. The boulder analogy helps you reflect on your role in tackling challenges. Analyze your situation, take ownership, and act now, not later. Small, faithful actions can lead to significant change over time!

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INSIGHT

Shrink The Overwhelm

Overwhelm comes from treating your whole life as one giant problem cloud.
Shrinking focus to small steps restores clarity and peace.

ADVICE

Do The Next Faithful Step

Identify the single next faithful step you can take instead of planning grandly.
Do that step now and let momentum build from there.

ADVICE

Choose The High-Leverage Task

Ask which single task would make everything else better and prioritize it.
Execute that task before worrying about the rest.

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In this episode, the discussion centers around how to move forward when life feels overwhelming. The episode challenges the belief that progress requires grand plans and instead introduces a gentler, more effective approach: identifying and taking the next best step. Through practical advice and relatable stories, we explore how small, faithful actions can lead to transformative results.

Overwhelm and Decision Fatigue
The episode opens by recognizing how overwhelming modern life can feel. With too many choices and responsibilities, our minds get clouded. The key is learning how to shrink our focus and think clearly about just one thing: what’s next?

The Power of Categories
By dividing life into areas like health, work, faith, and relationships, it’s easier to pinpoint where we’re stuck and what small action would bring the most relief or momentum.

Progress vs. Perfection
A powerful reminder: you don’t need to have a perfect plan. The goal is to start making progress—no matter how small. Perfectionism can often be disguised procrastination.

The Boulder Analogy
Are you moving the boulder, sitting on it, or pushing back? This metaphor helps listeners identify their role in solving (or avoiding) the challenges in front of them.

Analyze, Own, and Start Now
Listeners are guided to analyze their problems, identify strengths and hurdles, and start today—not next week or next month. Ownership and immediacy are central to real change.

Takeaways:

Progress doesn’t have to be dramatic—it just has to be real. By embracing the idea of small, consistent actions, life becomes more manageable. You learn to trust yourself, build momentum, and see your path more clearly. The challenge is to stop overthinking and start doing, even if the first step feels tiny.

Ownership is empowering. Even when circumstances are out of our control, we can control how we respond. The secret to success isn’t a perfect plan—it’s a willingness to act now.

https://startwithsmallsteps.com/finding-your-next-best-step/

Jill’s Links
https://abetterlifeinsmallsteps.com

https://www.youtube.com/@startwithsmallsteps
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/startwithsmallsteps
https://twitter.com/schmern
Email the podcast at jill@startwithsmallsteps.com

By choosing to watch this video or listen to this podcast, you acknowledge that you are doing so of your own free will. The content shared here reflects personal experiences and opinions and is intended for informational and inspirational purposes only. I am not a licensed healthcare provider, psychiatrist, or counselor. Any advice or suggestions offered should not be considered a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice. You are solely responsible for any decisions or actions you take based on this content.