You graduated from a decent college, have read many books, and have hands-on experience in a particular domain.
Then, when you start something new, you start it small. You feel the waters first before you take the plunge.
Start small and grow from there—that’s a good strategy to start anything new.
This works perfectly well during the initial phase. But, once your work gathers momentum, it is interesting to see how many of us get stuck in the same “small-steps” way of thinking and planning.
For example, when you get your first ten customers, you’d plan and take steps to build that by 2x . . . or 3x or 5x. But, rarely would you have the courage to plan for 10x, 50x, or 100x.
In general, our imagination, our vision stops at 2x or 3x our current capacity.
I must admit, I’m a great believer in going slow, in steadily building something over time. Those who think 10x or 20x beyond their capacity amaze me. Their potential to think beyond what’s normal is incredible.
Imagination is the first step to thinking 10x or 20x beyond. Without imagining where you’ll go (i.e., having an early vision), chances are limited that you’ll reach beyond your original goal.
Imagining small steps, in the beginning, is good. But don’t get stuck in that mode forever. When your business is growing, increase your imagination capacity. And, as you grow further, avoid falling back into the “limited imagination” mode.
Challenge yourself to think and plan 10x, 20x, or more: if you encounter blocks, it may perhaps be that your imagination and vision are holding you back.