Inspiration

What About Bob? Part 2: Baby steps

Written by: Nick Ortner

Last week I shared with you some insights from the very funny movie, “What About Bob?” (and some great clips!) If you missed that post, you can read it and watch the clips here:

https://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/what-about-bob/

In today’s post, we’re further exploring the concept of ‘baby steps’ as it applies to your life and your use of tapping.

In last week’s post, I talked about the idea of ‘baby steps’ and how it relates to making positive progress in your life, and with tapping specifically. Oftentimes, we’re so focused on grand results that we ignore what’s directly in front of us, what we have control over today that will eventually LEAD us to those grand results. The unfortunate outcome of this approach is that we ‘fail’ and then beat ourselves up for it. And then the cycle repeats itself, builds upon itself, and just makes things worse. I recommended the idea of taking ‘baby steps’ forward and shared some ways to do so. Again, you can read the full post here: https://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/what-about-bob/.

Today I’d like to talk about what happens when we take even just one of those ‘baby steps’, and what we can do to facilitate their continuation and enhance our personal experience of success.

So let’s say you did some tapping last week, or you’re doing some now, and you make progress. Something that was bothering you now isn’t. Maybe something that was stressing you out now feels light and easy. Or you had been procrastinating about doing, actually got done. You’re on the right path…well done…!

So now what?

The usual approach is to just move on to the next thing, find the next thing to work on, worry about, get done, and so forth. I’ve had some people share with me the frustration of tapping on one issue, clearing it, but then finding another one pops up! And it seems like it’s never-ending! 🙂 Well, the reality is, it is never-ending! And what I mean by that is not that your problems will never go away, but that once you move through something, there’s a natural inclination to grow, to learn more, to handle the next thing. And that’s wonderful! Especially once you move through your ‘problems’ (the pressing, super stressful issues around health, finances, relationships, etc.) into ‘challenges’, places where you are simply looking to learn, grow, heal without the burden of massive stress and pain.

For example, let’s say you have a bad back and you use a combination of tapping and stretching to heal it. Now the pain is gone. Well done! Now your next challenge might be to continue to strengthen the back, or to take up a sport you couldn’t play before, etc. There’s still a challenge in front of you, something you want to get done, something to improve, but it’s not surrounded by pain and misery! 🙂

But I digress, because what I want to talk about today is what to do once you’ve taken one of those little ‘baby steps,’ and how to recondition the mind for further success. As I said, when we complete something, our approach is often to just find the next thing – and it’s ok to look for the next thing…what’s not ok, or what I suggest you might want to change, is the fact that we often move from one task, accomplishment, achievement, etc. with little or no acknowledging of ourselves for getting it done!

What does this look like exactly? Well, let’s make it very real and take a look at this blog post and my experience with it. I truly enjoy writing, and it’s such an enormous pleasure to get to communicate with so many of you. At the same time, it’s not always easy to do, in that it takes focused energy to write, and it’s oftentimes easier to put it off, do something else, etc. So when I do write, it’s something that makes me feel great and I’m proud of it. IF, I allow myself to feel those feelings…and there’s the rub…

When I finish this post and share it with you, I have two choices.

A. I can think to myself. “Ok, done! Let’s keep moving, what’s the next thing I have to do? Well, I’ll have to write again, so I might as well get started on the next one. Or, I have a million things to do, let’s keep crossing them off.”

B. I can pause, take a deep breath, feel the positive feelings of my accomplishment (however big or small!) and perhaps even ‘tap in’ those good feelings. “Ahh….it feels SO great to get that done…what a joy to be able to express myself, to share it with others, and help them in their journey. I am SO grateful for the opportunity to do so..what a gift…!”

And it doesn’t even have to take long. It can be 30 seconds or a minute to recognize those tasks that you’re really proud of getting done. It can be 2 seconds if you’re happy that you washed the dishes! Or it can be a day of basking in self-appreciation and pride if you got that big raise, or published your book, or whatever big goal or dream you’ve accomplished (heck, make it a week of basking!)

The key is to take the time, however short or long, to acknowledge yourself. Hey…have you acknowledged yourself for reading this blog post? 🙂 I’m not kidding! It clearly shows that you have a commitment to yourself, to your family, to improve your life, and to make the world a better place. Well done! I’m acknowledging you, but much more importantly, you need to take the time to acknowledge yourself.

Besides being fun and feeling good, this simple practice reconditions our brains for success. It reconditions our brains to look for the joy in our accomplishments. It trains us to see that we do so much more than we ever give ourselves credit for.

Try it out for a few days. If you want to use tapping with it, simply bask in those positive feelings and tap through the points. If you want to say something out loud, you can either congratulate yourself or simply say, “I choose to lock in these positive feelings now”

As promised, another short clip from the film, “What About Bob?”….

Question: What are you proud of? What thing, big or small, are you acknowledging yourself for today? Post below! (share everything, no achievement is too small! And bask in the feeling as you share it!)



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25 Comments on this post

  1. Mr krishan sharma says:

    Between 3-45 & 5-00 this afternoon ,i visited a slum area of New Delhi India & was with abt 100+ chidren between 4to 12 yrs age group.Some religious chanting as part of a programme by Art of living foundation of Sri Sri Ravoshankar.Distributed some light freshly cooked snacks.Along with half a dozen other members of our group it was fulfilling expeirence. Thanks–Dr Krishan Sharma new delhi India110075

  2. Mike Mc says:

    Hi,mmany thanks to you all, it all help’s.Each door that open’s -Invites you to walk through a step at a time–I Like that don’t you.

    Have fun,enjoy the small stuff, Love the Big Stuff,enjoy it all Great and SMALL.
    Mike M .Brighton. Uk

  3. Susan Cowan says:

    No doubt about it – humour helps!!

  4. Christine Osborne says:

    The baby steps idea is so true. I allow myself a pat on the back for my ‘coping mechanism’
    In 1991 -1992 traumatic events triggered a new view of myself and the world. There have been other traumatic events but the way I found to work through them was – ‘to take baby steps’ it does have the effect of creating large ones! So I learnt to look for the positive and sometimes beautiful things to look for in the midst of the negative stuff to sort of rebalance things. It is very much a coping mechanism and you learn to love yourself (even the WHOLE SELF) Nick.

  5. Julia Neesham says:

    Im proud of the fact that I can BE here! I’v stopped trying to escape from myself and am enjoying my own company. Its taken a long time and I may have a relapse, but I feel good right now. :o)

  6. Jean Kathryn says:

    Nick… thanks for the reminder to remember to celebrate our baby steps. I acknowledge that today I tapped on a traumatic event throughout the day and am clearing and releasing old stuck energy to use today! I acknowledge my dedication and commitment to the process.
    Thanks for what you bring to the party! Jean Kathryn

  7. Alison says:

    I acknowledge that I spent some time on clearing and tidying the verandah and shed. I also did two short bursts of singing practice. I am joyful because I spent some time in the company of another joyful person today. Tapping is releasing me and giving me the freedom to accept myself for who I am. Thank you for all your help. Alison

  8. Dr.Edna Rosenthal says:

    This is a fantastic Idea. Even that I could not listen to the film with Bob( did not hear the tone!!!) I understood, what you mean by this kind of seeing and thinking about that what we can do. I think, that we all have to accept, that one stepp a time – if it is done well – will bring forward a lot and open the way to a good fortune. —- Because I suddenly did not have work and I felt a little bit ambarresed by this, I tapped on being happy to have this free day to do a lot of things, that I could not do otherwise and feel happy, gain power for the next day and not struggle against the moment: as Depak Chopra says: “Never struggle against the moment because it is just how it should be”. So L E T it G O and take a deep breath, to all a very happy day, Edna

  9. Rebecca says:

    Nick this is wonderful! It is SO important acknowledge those accomplishments no matter how small. I’m so glad you brought it up and also about how much you love to write for us all I really get how you feel about the pleasure to write and share things that will enrich others lives. The other thing that’s so wonderful about celebrating ALL achievements is that it triggers the law of attraction into giving you more of those moments and the snowball begins!

  10. Hildy Lyn Roy says:

    Nick,
    I have been tapping for a few years too. BUT, this article and the last one and the Baby Steps have helped me to see more what I have been missing. I expected too much and lots of disappointments. I teach Therapeutic Yoga and am very senior so I said out loud today how proud I was for openly speaking to a set of twin ladies as I really wish to help them help themselves. I get serious about tapping and then have a “rest” (lol) but your articles are encouraging me to keep tapping. Thank you for your dedication and warmth. Oh yes, I feel it and your sister Jessica’s. Your vibrations are high and wonderful.
    I’m realizing more and more that we just have to keep on keeping on.
    Hugs, Love, Light and Smoilies 🙂 Yogini Hildy xoxoxoxo

  11. Harry says:

    good stuff, keep them coming!!

  12. Kesta says:

    Thanks for reminding us to acknowledge the baby steps we make each day Nick. I’ve been making loads recently, but on reflection my acknowledgement of each step has been somewhat cursory. And then I feel a little overwhelmed by the thought of all I’ve still got to do. I wonder if that’s partly to do with the tapping process which helps us to focus initially on acknowledging the issues and accepting where we’re at before we move through to the positive changes. Tapping in the positives and choosing what we now want our lives to look like is the natural next step, but enjoying our success and tapping those good feeling once we’re there, in isn’t focused on so much. So ‘Yay to basking!’ It reduces overwhelm. I’m going to consciously add basking to my daily routine!

  13. Janey says:

    Today I am acknowledging myself and the apprentices, interns, volunteers, mentors, trusted authorities that collaborated on the first part of our historic mural we are doing for our city. We rocked! Today we were officially done, spraying the varnish coat on the parts that will be installed at a site in our city. And how did we get this done? Baby steps, and yes, I was tapping through it all :), working on it every day, enjoying each others’ company, learning… We were so scared when we started, because none of us had EVER worked in the media and way that we did for this particular project. Wow. Thank you Nick for your positive energy and work. Cheers!

  14. Margareta Stehr says:

    Jag är stolt över att idag, för första gången i mitt liv, känna att jag vill jobba i “A-laget” istället för i “B-laget” som jag gjort hitttills. Tack vare tappingen kan jag känna i hela kroppen att jag vill och har kapaciteten att arbeta med de allra, allra bästa! Jag vill inte längre göra mig liten! Nu kan jag känna att jag är lika stor och bra som alla andra – och till och med de allra bästa!

  15. Linda M says:

    I’m proud that I spent 15 minutes going through a pile of papers this morning and getting rid of the ones I didn’t need or want. I’ll look through more later today. Slowly removing clutter from my life.

  16. Malu Afable says:

    This post is encouraging…have not even had the slightest thought of being grateful for whatever it is I have accomplished during the day. I feel better now just thinking of little things I am to be grateful that I always took for-granted.

  17. Faye W says:

    I am proud today that I apologized for an eruption of anger in which I destroyed the property of someone. Today, I made a financial restitution along with an apology. I am feeling ‘freer’ – free to move on, free to release my Xena the Warrior Princess personality. I may experience repercussions from owning up to something that was ‘hidden,’ but I am happier now being the person that I always want to be: kind, generous, full of joy.

  18. Dianna says:

    Thank you so much, Nick! What an important reminder! I am sure so much of my stress is caused by focusing on the things I haven’t done or on the things I haven’t done “right”, and what a difference it makes when I take the time to appreciate the things I have done, the difference I do make. My evening last night was dragged down by beating myself up about a seeming mistake, when the day was filled with accomplishment, connections, generosity, kindness from friends and strangers. I love what you said about how our focus on “grand results” actually gets in the way of attaining them because we forget to work on, acknowledge, and appreciate the small results along the way. Your discussion about how we will move through our problems to challenges also really struck a chord with me. . . . Now, I can’t wait to get started. Thanks!

  19. Michelle says:

    Dear Nick, thank you! I’m in love with the movie too! Great theme and amazing actors.. love them.. Don’t you think, that sometimes it is the way we handle our problems that needs to change. Tapping is definitely a good way!! What we usually call problems is what we judge as bad/negative incidents.. Maybe if we tap on ‘NOT JUDGING WHAT IS’ (as a problem) and LEARN TO LET GO.. then when the next BIG thing hits.. it easily passes through our experience and we have more time to spare for focussing on joy and the happy baby steps to follow..? Thankfulness also helps when basking right? THANK YOU<3
    Michelle

  20. Joni Mountford says:

    Keep writing Nick. One can tell you enjoy it. Since I was a little girl I have believed growing was an eternal experience. The insight is to know when you are the teacher or when you are the student & within any moment it can change so very quickly. Thanks for the reminder to integrate the good feelings of growth!

  21. Sandi says:

    What a gr8 and timely reminder ! I have Fibromyalgia and anything and everything is such an effort. While I was reading your blog, I stopped and thought about what I did today – I am feeling quite unwell today – but when I checked into what I had done, I realised that I had accomplished a great deal and hadn’t given myself a pat on the back for it :((. One thing was a letter I had to carefully compose where I needed to ask for help. I hate asking for help, but I managed to write the letter and personally deliver it too! And there was more than that today too. So when I paused like you said I was very happy and smiled and I tapped away whilst smiling. I haven’t done the gratidude dance yet but as soon as I finish writing this I will !

    Thanks for making me count my blessings today.

    Love light and laughter Sandi

  22. Charles says:

    Thank-you Nick, this article was very timely and spot on. I am a less than perfect house keeper but I have managed recently to tidy things up a bit. This morning I fixed breakfast and washed dishes immediately afterward, I was reveling in my accomplishment and sat down to my computer to pass a little free time and here was this post to confirm and encourage me to remember to enjoy my little baby steps even though I know Bob will never be out of the house.

  23. marie says:

    Thank you Nick! It is such a pleasure to read you. And you are a great help. I do not normally find the time to appreciate what I do as i am always ‘too busy’! But from now on I will take the time it needs to acknowledge myself. I love working with tapping and with it I am helping many people and at the same time helping myself. Many Many Thanks!!

  24. Elise B says:

    I went for a brisk walk with my friends.

  25. londonozlunivers says:

    Thank you Nick for the article. I am very happy to read that it is good to take a moment and enjoy the things I consider I’ve done well and right because, it actually often happens that I do that, and it’s been for years now. When I tidied my bedroom, when I mopped the floor, when I totally cleared the messy table, when I finished a book, when I crossed off a thing on my to-do list… That’s a real great feeling! and I am happy it is ok be satisfied for my small achievements. 🙂

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