How do you eat an elephant?

Sometimes our goals can seem so huge that they overwhelm us. Maybe you want to become a doctor, but you don't even have a bachelor's degree. Maybe you want to star in a movie, but you haven't acted since high school. Or maybe you want to write a book.

You tackle huge goals the same way you would eat an elephant--one bite at a time. The trick is to break down that larger goal into smaller and smaller bits until you arrive at a first step, something you can do today. If you want to become a doctor, your first step might be to research what you will need to get into medical school. That's not so hard. You can probably do that in ten minutes online.

If you want to be a famous movie star, you might want to research local actors' groups, community theater, or even buy your own video camera so you can make and star in your own film. (Everyone's path is different!) Your first step might be to call a friend, who you know has a sister's brother-in-law's cousin who had a bit part in a Ben Stiller movie.

If you want to write a book, you might want to start by braintorming a story on paper. Or writing a character sketch. Or writing the first sentence of the book.

Once you've completed that first step, you have momentum on your side, and you can plot out your next step. In fact, completing one step almost always suggests what your next step should be.

So grab your fork and start in on that elephant.