The premise of ‘think big, act small’ is to create and head towards stretch goals. Intentions that are huge. Big dreams. Act small is all about breaking it down into bite-size chunks to enable you to make measurable and sustainable progress towards that large goal.
In the book of the same title, Jason Jennings reveals his findings from researching 100,000 US companies to find the secret to stellar performance.
Tony Robbins talks about how most people over-estimate what they can do in a year and hugely under-estimate what they can do in ten years. Perhaps the over-estimation can be equated to ‘think big, act big (and fail) or even ‘think big, get overwhelmed and do not act’. Either way, the net result is much the same.
What are the benefits of ‘think big, act small’. I’d summarise it as follows:
Sustain the start-up spirit. Remember when everything about your business was exciting? How great did that feel?
Balance long-term vision with short-term goals. This is a great way to keep achieving and keep the dopamine hits coming.
Align your business goals with your personal goals. The more aligned your goals are, the greater the chance of success (as you define it).
Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go after the great ~ John D Rockefeller
As with many worthwhile pursuits, there may be some sacrifice required and almost certainly discipline will be needed, which is where the Rockefeller quote comes into play.
Just one final point – well, more of a question actually: what’s your BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal)?
