Driving across country at night (or even just down the peninsula), you don’t need to see the whole road before you when you start out. You only need to see the next 100 feet— just about what your headlights can illuminate.

Breaking a daunting task into manageable steps, just bite-sized pieces, will move you steadily toward your goal as well.

I admit I’m sometimes overwhelmed by the enormity of a project I’ve taken on, whether it’s the challenge of writing a whole book or the prospect of saving enough money to take my longed-for vacation to Italy. That’s when it’s necessary to take a step back to put it all into perspective. It’s only one word at a time; I only have to save a few dollars a month.

Life is like that. Doing just one small thing to move you toward your goal is enough to eventually get you there. That’s where patience and persistence comes in. Sorry, I can’t help you out with those!