One Step

Published: 10 July 2024

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

The shorter version is

A thousand-mile journey begins with a step.

But I do not want to talk about the length of the proverb. I want to share my interpretation of it.

The message of the proverb is telling people that they need to start doing something to achieve their goals. Now, what do they need to start doing? The answer is not obvious. But I know the answer.

A long journey begins with a short step, a single step to be precise. Why do people need to start with one step? Why not half of a step? Or even a quarter step? If they only start with half of a step or even a quarter step, they are not starting. They are still getting started.

Now, a single step is essential. You need to start, but you need to start by completing a single step. For example, if your goal is to write a thousand blog posts, you need to start with writing a blog post. If you just finished writing a draft, you are still completing your first step toward your goal. Your first step is completed when you publish your first blog post.

So, you need to start small, one step at a time. If you do less than one step, you have not started yet. You really need to do one step at a time.