Breaking Through Overwhelm: Why Starting Small Changes Everything

Change isn't the dramatic overnight transformation we often see glorified—it's the quiet victory of showing up for yourself day after day. I'm unpacking this truth while sharing my current adventure of opening a coffee and bagel shop in England (something I know almost nothing about!) while simultaneously moving houses and juggling family life and coaching.

When faced with overwhelming challenges—dealing with vendors, builders, licensing, councils, and the financial investment of a new business—I've discovered the power of focusing solely on the next step. This approach generates surprising momentum. Each small action builds upon the last, creating a foundation of confidence that isn't superficial but deeply rooted in proven capability.

The beauty of micromovement is its accessibility. Whether you're writing that book (just 100 words today), getting healthier (a 10-minute walk), changing careers (updating your resume), or rebuilding after loss (one deep breath, one kind word to yourself)—small doesn't mean insignificant. It means doable. And what's doable is what actually gets done. Life isn't about existing on autopilot; it's about living deliberately through these conscious choices.

What's that one step you can take today? It doesn't need to be flashy or perfect—just forward. Write it down, do it, and show up again tomorrow. You're stronger than you think, and you're just one step away from proving it to yourself. Subscribe, share with friends, and reach out if you're feeling stuck—I'd love to connect!

Instagram: @mikemuldoonlc
Website: www.themikemuldoonpodcast.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/mike-muldoon-podcast

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everybody, welcome to this week's episode
of the Mike Muldoon Podcast.
Thanks for joining me.
Glad to have you.
As always, it's late.
I got to get it done tonight.
My internet gets turned offtomorrow, not because we didn't
pay the bill, but because somuch is going on.
We're actually moving and we'retransferring service.
I guess they need a 48 hour.
I don't get it, don'tunderstand it in this day and
age, but apparently it's a 48hour changeover.

(00:22):
But we're going to talk moreabout that.
Anyway, I'm going to sharewhere I'm at.
Like I said when I started thispodcast, it was all about I
didn't want to come from a placeof hey, look how successful I
am right now.
And let me tell you I got there.
My journey has been along withyour journey.
You know, if you go back andlisten to my podcast, you'll see
a lot of things that I've beenthrough a.
You'll see a lot of things thatI've been through, a lot of

(00:43):
risks I've taken and a lot ofhow it's all worked out.
And each time I've made a jumpin something, it seems to just
worked out.
I'm not saying it's always easy,but you know what I believe
life is about living.
It's just not about existing.
See, the thing is, you know, welive in a world that glorifies
these big wins, right, thesebreakthroughs, the dramatic
transformations, the overnightsuccess stories.

(01:04):
But here's a I guess you couldsay a quieter truth that often
gets lost in the uh, the noiseof a real change.
You know it's, it reallyhappens in one sweeping move.
I mean change and movingforward and accomplishing.
It happens in these small,intentional steps.
That steps, steps so late,steps, really, when no one's

(01:29):
washing right.
It's whether you're staringdown a career pivot or, you know
, healing from a tough season.
Maybe it's a sports season,right, I actually coach American
football right now, you know,trying to write that book or
simply just trying to feel likeyourself again.
The road ahead can feeloverwhelming and that challenge
sometimes looks massive.
Maybe your energy feels low andthe question that really echoes

(01:53):
in your head is where do I evenstart?
And my answer is start smalland Start now.

(02:31):
Look, the answer isn't to climbthe whole mountain one day,
it's really to just take onestep, just one step.
Now.
Let me tell you about where I'mat.
Okay, my wife and I have decidedto.
Well, we didn't plan aroundthis idea for a little while,
but we've decided to open up acoffee shop and a bagel shop in
our new town here in England andwe're excited about it.
But it wasn't a lifelong dream.

(02:51):
We haven't been sitting aroundgoing, oh, someday we're going
to open that shop and we'regoing to finally pull the
trigger.
It was just something we'dalways talked about.
Wouldn't it be cool if we didthis?
Wouldn't it be cool if we'regoing to do this?
And lo and behold, here we areSigned the lease, got the keys,

(03:11):
got builders in, got peoplelooking at things, painters,
this councils, licenses I meanthere is so much when you're
opening up a business.
Now here's the other kicker.
I know nothing about coffeeshops.
I know nothing about bagelsshops.
I've never worked in a cafe.
I think I was fired from arestaurant once before when I

(03:34):
was like 17 years old, did somecatering back in it.
And don't get me wrong, I'm notblind.
I'm not going into this LikeI've been doing the work, the
research, the numbers, thevendors, the menus.
I mean I've, I've been, I'vebeen really, really involved in
looking at all this andeducating myself, right with it
all.
But the thing of it is is itstill can seem very, very, you
know, difficult if I look at thebig picture, like if I just go,

(03:59):
if I just, like you know, youalways have to have an eye on
the future, which is fine, butif I looked at everything it
would be overwhelming.
So it's almost like what I haveto do is I have to keep my my
head down and just look at thenext step, look at the next step
and, and as I've been doingthat, I've been gaining momentum

(04:19):
, I've been gaining traction andit's becoming more and more
into fruition and we're gettingreally close and we're almost
there to opening, which isexciting.
But again I've had to take anysort of like really small steps.
You know real small action, youknow clear choices, one
movement at a time forward.
Because when I do that, againI'm gaining traction and from
that traction again comes thatmomentum and with that momentum
really becomes that strength tobelieve and to keep working on

(04:41):
it.
And just not that outer kind,right, but you know that more
deeper kind, that resilience,that confidence, that grip.
Now, again, if you've listenedto my podcast in the past, I've
been through so much that I'm soyou know, I've built up so much
resilience to things that whatwould bury people and make it
seem so insurmountable.
I I've built up that strengthbecause even in the, even in the

(05:02):
um, in why all of this is goingon, my wife and I have also
decided to move.
So I'm in the process of moving.
I spent my day today, half theday, in the shop trying to clean
up stuff that the builders havedone, get out some stuff that
the previous tenant left, andthen I came home and I've
started part packing, causewe're moving into a new house.
So it has been absolutely crazy.

(05:24):
But how do I do it?
I just keep one step at a time,and this is the goal.
If you're trying to changeanything in your life, you just
have to focus on something.
You have a goal and you have avision, but don't try to look at
it all at once, because it'llseem crazy.
See, the thing is, big changeagain just happens in these

(05:49):
micro movements.
You know, the mountain doesn'tget smaller, right, as you start
working towards it.
You just get stronger, and youdo so by doing that kind of
movement, right, not all at once, bit by bit.
Now, for you, you know, for me,right now, it's opening up a
business, it's moving, whilesimultaneously keep in mind I've
got kids, I'm married, I, I, Icoach American football.

(06:13):
I've got a ton, which drives meeven more crazier when people
tell me they don't have time,they're not married, they don't
have.
Who knows people like this?
Right, they're not married,they don't have kids.
I don't have any time.
You have all the time in theworld and I don't care if you
work 12 hours a day because yougot 12 more hours to get things
done.
I know there's a lot of peoplelike me.

(06:33):
You know you just got to.
You got to really, reallymaximize your time.
But let's just say, your goal,you know, is something like
writing a book or gettinghealthier, right, quitting that
job that's draining you or, youknow, maybe it's even rebuilding
your confidence after some sortof setback.
You know, but what if today'sjob isn't to solve that whole

(06:54):
thing?
It's just again, like taking astep, building a business, just
one manageable step.
You know, writing a book foryou might just be.
You know, I just actually wrotea book right, five basic keys
to living successfully.
In between, it took me a whileand again, even with that, it
was just let's get a page done aday, but maybe it's a hundred
words a day, maybe getting inshape for you is walking 10
minutes and drinking an extraglass of water or leaving your

(07:16):
job.
Maybe it's just you startupdating your resume, reach out
to one person in your networkand maybe it's a rebuilding
after a loss.
You know one deep breath, youknow one kind message.

(07:36):
Speak one kind word to yourself.
See, small doesn't seem or meaninsignificant.
Small means doable, and what'sdoable is what actually gets
done, because tiny wins buildtrue strength.
I mean, every time you show up,even just a little, you're
proving to yourself that you can, you're building trust in your
ability to move forward and thattrust becomes the foundation

(07:58):
for everything else you do.
And again, you don't need to doit all day.
Like I said, if I focused oneverything I mean.
And like I said, if I focusedon everything, I mean dealing
with vendors and builders andall the money I'm spending and
councils and governments and IDinstitutions and everything that
you need to get.
It's in surmount.
So I just have to sit there andfocus on one thing at a time.
And again, I'm also in themiddle of a move with boxes and

(08:20):
everything all over.
But if I don't, I'd go crazyand I have to keep reminding
myself I don't have to do it allover, but if I don't I'd go
crazy.
And I have to keep remindingmyself I don't have to do it all
today.
I just need to show up formyself.
And you need to show up foryourself, because you're not
stuck, that you're still movingright now, even if it's just an
inch at a time.
You're moving.

(08:41):
So I ask you, what's that onestep you can take today?
Really, just take a breath,think about it.
Like, what's that one smallthing?
It doesn't have to be flashy,not perfect, just forward.
What can you do today?
If I was you, I'd write it down, do it and show up again
tomorrow, because that's howchange is made one step, one

(09:02):
moment, one act of courage at atime.
Because You're stronger thanyou think and you're just really
one step away from proving it,cause, like I said seven months
ago, if you would have said Mike, you'd be, you know, opening up
a coffee bagel shop, um, movinghouses, doing all this stuff oh
, by the way, in a foreigncountry, um, when you know

(09:24):
nothing about this world, Idon't know what are you talking
about.
But it's amazing.
When you just slowly startputting yourself towards stuff,
you gain strength, confidence,momentum, and then, even when
you come up and you look at it,maybe a little bit sometimes
it's not as overwhelming,because you start to trust
yourself.
You start to trust yourself andwhen you know what really

(09:45):
happens, you have more control.
You have more to trust yourself.
You start to trust yourself andwhen you know what really
happens, you have more control.
You have more control ofyourself.
You have more control of yourlife because, again, life is
about living, it's not aboutexisting.
I've talked about it many timesand I talk about it in my book.
Most people are just goingthrough their lives, not even
realizing they're on autopilot,wanting to make change, not even
realize that change is possible.
So here, if you're one of thosepeople, change is possible.

(10:08):
You just might have to do itone tiny step at a time.
Just start moving towards itand you'd be surprised how
quickly those steps turn into afast walk.
That turned into more of a jog,that eventually turned into a
sprint.
All right, all right, everybody.
That's all I have for youtonight.

(10:28):
Sorry if I sound a little hoarse.
It is, it's, it's late and uh,but I promised I'd do whatever I
can.
I got to get this podcast inevery week.
I'm trying, I'm trying to havebeen consistent now for a
hundred and something episodes.
I haven't missed one.
I appreciate you being with me.
Uh, share it with your, uh, yourfamily, your friends.
You know, please, if you're onSpotify, apple, please just make

(10:50):
sure you hit that subscribebutton, leave a comment If you
have any questions or concerns.
Uh, you know, you can alwaysreach me at Mike Muldoon, at
Mike Muldoon, lccom.
If you think somebody mightneed some help, you know, send
them my way.
More than have to talk topeople I'm not a therapist,
though I'm not a therapisttalking about more for people
who just maybe feel stuck intheir lives I can always find
time to talk to people.

(11:10):
I feel like there's a littlebit of a gift and it's a gift
that should be given forward.
All right, everybody, thank youso much for tuning in, thank
you so much for being with meand, as always, I got nothing
but love for you.