What’s that mean, anyway…taking a baby step?
Most of the time people use this phrase to taking tiny, tiny little steps.
That’s probably a good and useful image when we imagine it from the adult perspective of walking beside a baby.
And it can be useful when we are wishing the dissertation would complete itself overnight or when we feel like we’re just not Making Progress.
But, as dissertations go, we’re not the adult who knows how to walk and take giant leaps whenever necessary.
We’re the baby….
We’re the ones who haven’t done it yet, who don’t get how it all works, or how to use our minds~bodies to get the outcome we want.
I read a beautiful description today of real “baby steps” from creativity coach Marnie Makridakis of Artella Words and Art:
When Kai was first learning to walk last summer, we would take him to the local beaches around the island to help him practice his first steps. I had to laugh at myself, because after all these years of talking to creative people about taking “baby steps”, it was only then that I experienced what a “baby step” actually entailed! LOL:-)
Far from simply being a “tiny” step, true baby steps are often awkward, very slow and indecisive. We could hold his hands or walk beside him, but Kai had to find that actual motion and rhythm for himself, and that was something that no amount of instruction or good advice could ever do for him.
That’s it! The Real nature of baby steps, even when dissertationing! ->
- They’re awkward: You’ve never written a dissertation likely — for sure, you’ve never written one in this field. You don’t know exactly what’s called for, what to put in, what to take out, how you work best, how to keep motivation and momentum going, what to expect from your advisor or your committee…awkwardness abounds.
- They’re slow: Words and library research and data collection and data analysis can feel like they take place at a snail’s pace, with lots of that awkwardness embedded in each step. Mole-hills feel like mountains, you’re careful with each step, you take more time than someone who’s done it a thousand times, it lasts “forever” (or seems to).
- They’re indecisive: You aren’t sure how to do this, perhaps you hesitate before committing words to paper, perhaps you edit yourself mercilessly to get it Just Right. You may hesitate before you send an email to your advisor or pick up the phone to contact possible participants. It’s new, it’s different, it’s uncomfortable.
- You have to do it yourself: Martie says “We could hold his hands or walk beside him, but Kai had to find that actual motion and rhythm for himself, and that was something that no amount of instruction or good advice could ever do for him.” That’s your advisor and your committee or maybe your coach or coaching group — all of us can walk beside you, some of us can hold your hand though it ;-). But you are the one that has to do it — find the “rhythm and motion” of your working day, the “rhythm and motion” of your dissertation process and writing, the “rhythm and motion” of your contribution to your field.
But here’s the thing — even if a baby has to use his or her hands to get it going, or hold onto things 
— somewhere, sometime there is something they want bad enough to get to — so they walk. They do it.
Or they see others walking and say in their little baby minds “I want to do that too!”, so they walk.
Or they just enjoy using their mind~bodies in this new and exciting way, so they walk.
And fall down.
And get up to take a step.
And fall down.
And get up to take another step.
And another…
And another…
So keep taking those baby steps — no matter how awkward, uncomfortable, slow, and hesitant they may feel. That’s how it supposed to be, it’s ok and not it’s because there is something wrong with you!
You can do this and walk down that aisle for that degree! (OK, that was a bit of a reach, but it a fun image in my head! ;-)