Process! Can I be real with you?
Chewing elephants stresses me out. Now, before you call ASPCA on me—no animal cruelty here! I don’t actually eat elephants. Never ever crossed my plate, but you’ve heard the saying: How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
The idea is simple—tackling any big goal requires breaking it down into small, manageable, actionable steps.
I’ve found that the times I make the most progress, especially with huge obstacles or tasks, are when I focus on those small, daily bites. Just one step at a time, consistently, day after day. That’s how I’ve accomplished anything significant in my life.
But here’s the thing—sometimes I get ahead of myself. And that’s when overwhelm creeps in, especially in parenting. Instead of taking it one bite at a time, I find myself staring at the massive plate in front of me, feeling paralyzed or even frustrated.
The truth? I couldn’t finish it all in one day, even if I tried.
Overwhelm isn’t a productive state, so when I find myself there, I have to intentionally pause, reevaluate, reset, and resume with goals broken down into small, actionable steps. And you know what? Sometimes those steps are as simple as staying consistent with love, maintaining routines and holding to expectations in my parenting.
Some days, the attitudes I face feel like gigantic elephants—especially when it comes to schoolwork, chores, and siblings. I was incredibly frustrated because I couldn’t see an end to the struggle. But instead of giving up, I chose to trust the process. I kept putting patience, expectations, and perseverance on my fork and taking bite after bite, day after day.
It’s easy to get discouraged when all we see is the massive elephant of difficulty in front of us. And that’s why I pray:
“Lord, give me grace for today. Help me to see the next bite. Give me faith and confidence that if I stay faithful in prayer, patience, and perseverance, I’ll be able to handle each and every step ahead."
And here’s the promise that keeps me going:
“Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." — Galatians 6:9
So, parents—when you feel overwhelmed by the elephant, remember this: You don’t have to finish it all today. Just take the next bite.
In my next post, I’ll share how this principle of persevering in the process has proven fruitful in parenting all to encourage you to, as Dora would put it in Finding Nemo, “Just keep swimming…” Or better, just keep…biting. 😉