First, find a rock

At the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum they have a display tucked away in a corner about how they make the fake rocks for their displays and enclosures. They show what each of the steps are to get to a finished fiberglass rock that looks just like the real thing.

The first step is: Find a Rock.

Yup. If you are going to make a fake rock, you first have to find a real rock. Only then can you make your molds and casts and figure out how to paint the fake rock. Almost seems too simple to mention. And it certainly made us laugh when we saw it. But I think there’s some real wisdom to that first step.

Often it is the first step that we get hung up on when we are trying to get something done. We think it needs to be some grand gesture or something real complicated. But often it is the smallest steps that make the biggest difference, that get the momentum going. Those complicated grand gestures are generally more for the later steps. For example, the first step in problem solving is to identify the problem. Before you solve a problem you need to know what it is you are trying to solve. Sometimes that can be difficult, but it’s even more difficult to try to solve a problem you don’t know exists yet.

So think about your life, your goals, where you want to be, and what you want to do. And then, first, find a rock.