How High Achievers Leverage The Domino Effect

Photo by Bradyn Trollip on Unsplash

My boys used to love to line up dominoes when they were little.

They’d made these elaborate chains of dominoes - each one meticulously placed one in front of the other. My boys would lie on their stomachs with their noses one inch away from the smooth white rectangles - slowly, deliberately and carefully placing one piece at a time.

Now, I held my breath a bit every time they chose to construct these courses because there would inevitably be tears, yelling and frustration if one accidentally bumped a domino during set up. The whole thing would could come crashing down and the painful realization would set in that they’d have to start all over again.

But, they’d always take a deep breath, regroup and resume that same position - fingers slowly pinching and placing one domino at a time… until they’d finally construct their elaborate design, stand back and admire their work.

Then (after arguing about who got the honors…) one of my kids would slowly extend that index finger and push that first domino - dropping each and every one in front of it until the last tile would satisfyingly drop.

It got me thinking how much of the big goals we’re going for - the big grand finale result we’re chasing - is actually built by standing up one small tile at a time.

Because each of those small, tedious, repetitive actions are what leads to the big payoff at the end.

I work with high achieving women who are chasing some of the biggest dreams they’ve ever imagined. I’m talking about landing their dream job, making big career pivots, growing their businesses to multiple 6 or 7 figures, and fully booking their businesses.

And while pursuing these huge goals, they’ll sometimes feel paralyzed by how big of a shift is required to make this dream a reality. Or they’ll experience a setback that throws them off course.

And each and every time - you know how they get back on track?

By thinking about the next small, tangible action they can take.

That’s it. It really is that simple.

I keep a domino on my desk to remind me of this.

Lay one tile at a time.

Think of the next best (tiny) action you can take to help you reach your goal.

Then do it.

The big payoff always comes after you’ve deliberately and meticulously laid each tile

…then with one gentle nudge, all the pieces finally fall into place.