Why A Tiny Step Is More Important Than A Giant One
By Donna Hoffmeyer
(Original post on Medium, Taking Off The Armor)
The last couple of weeks have had their fair share of ups and downs.
I went home for the funeral of my 98-year-old grandmother. That by itself brought back a flood of memories and gave me a little mortality check…reminding me, like it or not, time is continually moving forward.
Before I even left for home, I was already having a small pity party. Everything seemed at a standstill or rolling a little backward. My start-up project was in a holding pattern; my blog was showing dismal numbers; and I had been so focused on the start-up project, that the marketing of my new book was appalling.
I gave myself a tiny pat on the back for scheduling three book events during the time I was home. Hey, it was something.
Being an unknown author, I was definitely not expecting a line around the corner. However, I was feeling encouraged, as I ran into people that were telling me they were going to stop by my first book event.
Each book event brought in less than 10 people. I was feeling a bit defeated again.
The first event was in my hometown. There were 10 people…including the three that set up the event, and my parents. Even though small, I was pleased with the conversation that ensued, and catching up with a dear high school friend.
The second event was at an indie bookstore in another town. Two days before the event, I found out the town was having a food festival about a half mile from the bookstore. The store bought 10 books for the event and had an area set aside for the book signing. I sold three books…two of them to family members. I was thankful my cousin and her family were there to keep me company.
By the time I was heading to my third event, I was slightly dreading going. I felt I was wasting the time of the venue that agreed to have me and our daughter, who sat patiently through these 2–3 hour events. No matter, I had our daughter with us and was not going to let her see my disappointed self.
I had three visitors at that event, but I was so glad I went.
The first visitor was my friend from college, who drove 2 ½ hours with her Mom to say hi and buy a book. It was so awesome to catch up with her. I was humbled to have her take the time out of her day to see me.
The second one turned out to be a retired Air Force Veteran. We had the best conversation. Found out our spouses were from the same state (Michigan), we were at a base at the same time (Ramstein), did the same number of years of service, and we had a military friend in common (Brad and Steph, if you are reading this, Matt says hi.)
As we were wrapping up, a tourist came in looking for a cup of coffee. Kelly, the owner, explained they were technically closed, but happily made them a cup to go. She mentioned the book event and the customer stopped over and bought a book for the rest of her vacation.
The cherry for the day was Kelly asking to buy 20 books to sell in her store. I was not expecting this and was pleasantly surprised! In addition, she bought two of my first books for her sons and 30 bookmarks that she will donate proceeds to a veteran nonprofit.
When it was all said and done, I ended up selling a total of 35 books, donated 6, and had 14 left from the total I brought. I’m sure it doesn’t sound like a lot, but it was way more than I realized. It felt good to put money into my business account instead of taking it out, and I was excited I didn’t have to mail books back to my home.
I had to sit back and process this. The events, by the numbers, were pretty dismal, yet the sales ended up being pretty decent. But…even more important were the people I met and the kindness they showed me.
Charlie, Donna, and Tom were excited to have an author event. It was a first for them and they chose a local, yet unknown, author to give it a test run. They set up everything, marketed, and put a couple of articles in the local paper.
Mia, the manager at the bookstore, set up an entire area for me, even though she knew there wouldn’t be a big turnout.
Kelly, at the coffee shop, not only bought books and bookmarks but sent me off with free drinks, food, and t-shirts. (If you want the most amazing cookies…hit up the Granite Grind in Lancaster, NH)
My friends who showed up; the veterans I met; and the people who shared with me their love for writing and interest in publishing their work. This is what was most important.
Sometimes we get lost in the “forest through the trees” syndrome and cannot see the big picture. Sometimes, it beats us down and causes us to want to give up. I would be a liar if I didn’t have a few of those thoughts myself.
When I reflected, I realized not only did I sell more books than I anticipated, but I also got myself out there and made some amazing connections. People who really know me know that I am not a huge fan of being in the spotlight. So, just getting out there was a pretty big step.
My good friend Jay’s words ring loud. It is the act of consistently moving forward and trying new things that will eventually lead to successfully reaching our goals.
Why do I put out this whole story? Simply because I want this to be a lesson to others who are starting new things…whether that be a new business, taking courses, changing jobs, changing entire careers, or your entire life…it is important to keep putting one step in front of the other…no matter how small it feels.
There are a lot of baby steps and trial and error that have to occur before we start walking steadily. Sometimes it will feel like more failure than success, but in reality, it is not about failure or success. It is about what you do next. If it is a failure, the choice is to give up or find another route. If it is a success, the choice is to live on the success or use the success to move on to new goals and multiply the success.
The lesson applies to everyone, but I like to keep a special focus on my veteran peers.
My transitioning warriors, when you leave the service, it is going to be one new adventure after another in the civilian world. There will be times when you will feel like you are going nowhere fast. During those times, I encourage you to take a deep breath and take another step…no matter how small or shaky it feels. Cumulatively, those steps will add up and move you in your intended direction.
Trip, stumble, and fall…but always brush yourself off and take that next step. It may be the one that gets you steady on your feet.
