Every once in awhile you’ll find a person who is completely satisfied with his situation. He likes his job, he has good friends, and a warm family. Generally, he feels content. This is a self-confident man.

Then, one day, new computers arrive into work, and out of the blue, he’s not so satisfied. Technology may be a weak spot, but one he mastered when the business was computerized years ago. What will he do now that he’s on the bottom rung of the ladder again?

Acknowledge What You Need

While programming and configuration may be way beyond what our friend has to offer, his bigger problem is a lack of confidence. After all, he won’t need to know how to program this computer. That’s already been done.

Sometimes we make jobs much bigger than they are as a way of diverting attention to our anxiety instead of trying to face our goals. Whenever you try something new, you run the risk of failing. Cut your anxiety down by pinpointing what you really have to do.

Our friend needs to learn how to use the programs on this new computer. That’s a big task all by itself. His first job though is figuring out how to turn it on. That’s a small job, and by acknowledging that task, and then completing it, he builds his confidence.

Always Think in Baby Steps

Your problem might be very simple. Maybe your teeth are on the darker side of yellow. You think, “My teeth look terrible. I want to make them whiter.” What does this entail?

Brushing more, drinking less tea, using bleaching agents that need to be picked up at the pharmacy? That’s a lot to accomplish in one fell swoop. If you stumble on one you may just give up on all of them. Break your task into baby steps.

Start with the most manageable task.

For our friend, that was turning on the computer. He looked around at the younger guys, the ones with more computer experience, and saw them pushing the circle in the corner of their keyboards. He did the same and the lights came on. Suddenly this doesn’t seem so hard.

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