(Originally posted on January 2, 2018.)

Imagine you want to reorganize your kitchen cabinets. You pull everything out and start sorting. The phone rings and you’re off to run an errand or pick up the kids. The day continues to happen and by dinnertime the kitchen is a mess and you’re no closer to having an organized kitchen.

Imagine instead you spent time planning how you wanted to organize your cabinets. You thought through how you use the kitchen and where the most convenient places would be for the dishes, the spices, and so on.

Then you plan to tackle just one cabinet at a time (working through only one or two each weekend). You empty and clean the cabinet and only put in what you had planned. Tuck the leftover bits in a box in the pantry (until you get to the cabinet where they will eventually live).

If you get interrupted, it’s only a small mess and, worse case scenario, you can put everything back and start again next weekend.

Yes, it’s a bummer that it might take you several weeks to accomplish the goal of organizing your kitchen cabinets, but the nice thing about baby steps is that you will actually get there!

Larger steps tend to be messier and harder to accomplish in normal life. When you fail, it’s far more discouraging. With baby steps you just pause and pick up where you left off. If you wind up taking a couple of weeks to do one small step, oh well, it’s to be expected. Just keep baby stepping through your plan as life allows.

Do you have plans for growing your marriage in 2018 2021? How can you break down your goals into smaller more manageable baby steps?

Here are a few ideas:

• Read a couple of good marriage books. (Read two pages a day.)
• Be more affectionate. (Perhaps a daily 5-10 second kiss?)
• Pray more for your husband. (Pray for him when you make your bed.)
• Be more generous. (Once a week ask yourself how you can personalize and do a generous tip idea.)
• Create a prettier more intimate bedroom space. (Start by spending 2 minutes a couple of days a week dejunking your bedroom.)
• Become a better student of your spouse. (Download these questions and ask one or two a week at the dinner table (or wherever).)
• Become a better lover. (Initiate sex one day a week.)
• Be more encouraging. (Compliment or thank your husband every day.)

Making changes can be as simple as one baby step at a time.

Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tiptoe if you must, but take a step. Naeem Callaway

• Prayer Prompt: Ask God to help you make baby step plans for the changes you want to see in your marriage.
• The Gottman Institute: How You Can Improve Your Relationship with Exercise It’s a great way to invest in your relationship.
• Heaven Made Marriage: Living a Love-Driven Life Let love be the primary motivation.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Image credit © Natalia Merzlyakova | Dreamstime.com
Shop & Support TGW Thanks!
We’re Donation Supported