Thinking About What’s Next · Post 7 of 10
Embarrassingly small is exactly right.
When people think about taking the first step toward a second act, they usually imagine something significant. Registering a company. Having a difficult conversation with their boss. Enrolling in a course. Making an announcement.
These are not first steps. These are fifth or sixth steps, reached after many smaller ones that have already moved you forward.
A first step is almost embarrassingly small. It has to be. Because the first step’s only job is to get you to the second step.
What the research says about small actions
Psychologist Peter Gollwitzer’s decades of research on implementation intentions shows that the most effective way to bridge the gap between intention and action is to specify when, where, and how you will take the very next step. Not a goal statement (“I want to explore coaching”). A concrete action (“This Thursday evening at 8pm, I will spend 30 minutes reading one article about coaching certification programmes”).
The specificity is what makes it work. Vague intentions stay vague. Scheduled actions happen.
James Clear makes a related observation in Atomic Habits: many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity. The people sitting with a quiet question and no concrete movement rarely lack motivation. They often lack a specific, small enough next action.
How Second Act SG started
When I first had the idea for Second Act SG, I didn’t build a website, register a business, or design a curriculum. My first step was to message some friends and ask a simple question: Would you be willing to spend 30 minutes talking to me about how you think about this stage of life?
That was it.
I had very kind and generous friends who said yes. Those conversations — fourteen of them, across different life stages — became the research foundation for everything you’re reading now.
My next step was buying a domain name and setting up a WordPress account. Less than $200. A few hours of set-up.
The smallest first step is not a metaphor. It is a method.
What makes a good first step
A good first step has three qualities:
It takes less than two hours. If your “first step” requires a full weekend to execute, it’s not a first step. Break it down further.
It produces information, not just output. The best first steps teach you something about whether you want to keep going. An informational interview. A trial session. A one-day course. You’re testing an assumption, not just completing a task.
It is specific enough to schedule. Not “I’ll look into it soon.” On your calendar, with a time and a duration.
From the people we spoke with
Across our conversations, the people who successfully navigated pivots almost never described a single decisive leap. More often, they described a moment of mild discomfort — a burnout, a retrenchment, a restless Tuesday evening — that nudged them into one small action. Which led to another.
“I was burnt out. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. But I knew that in another five years, if I stayed on, the opportunity cost of living would be very high. So I figured — better do it while I could still stomach the loss.”
— CW, moved from corporate to social enterprise in her 30s
“After the retrenchment, I reached out to past agencies and contacts. Very lightly. Just to see. They came back immediately with opportunities. I realised I can’t do nothing. But I also realised — this time around, I want to be more selective. Not just for the money.”
— BL, 45, Events Planner
Both started smaller than they thought they needed to. Both found that the first step revealed more than any amount of thinking had.
Your one next action
Not a plan. Not a commitment. One action.
Who is one person in your network who has made a pivot similar to what you’re considering?
When will you message them this week?
Post 7 of 10 · Thinking About What’s Next
← Post 6: Stop Planning. Start Prototyping.
→ Post 8: You Don’t Rise to Your Dreams. You Fall to Your Systems.
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