It’s often said that we overestimate what we can achieve in a year but underestimate what we can achieve in a decade. I’ve found that to be true in ways I never expected. When I look back at the last ten years of my life, I’m frequently astonished by how far I’ve travelled – especially when measured through the eyes of my decade-younger self. The things that once felt distant, unlikely or even out of reach now form the very fabric of my daily life.
Yet what’s interesting is that even shorter stretches of time can hold enormous transformation. A couple of years, a single year, even six focused months can take us to a place that feels entirely new. Progress compounds more quickly than we think. The shifts in perspective, the habits we build, the courage we gather, the decisions we commit to – they add up quietly, steadily and sometimes quite beautifully.
But here’s the truth I return to again and again: none of it would have happened if I hadn’t started. No growth, no breakthroughs, no progress (big or small) would exist without that first step.
This idea shows up in The Way You See It, where I explore a quote from Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand. She wrote:
“The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult.”
Every time I revisit this line, it hits me with the same clarity. The hard part is rarely the journey itself; it’s the moment we commit to it. The moment we decide to do something bold, new, uncomfortable or unknown. Starting requires vulnerability. It requires energy. It asks us to confront the resistance that keeps us still. But the moment we move, even by a fraction, we find that the next step becomes easier… and then the next… and then the next.
As we near the end of 2025, this quote feels especially relevant.
Around this time of year, many of us begin looking ahead to 2026. We start mapping out plans, setting intentions, imagining the changes we want to make or the goals we want to pursue. There’s something hopeful about this forward-looking energy, and I’m absolutely here for it.
But there’s also a quiet trap hidden within it.
The moment we start thinking about the new year, we risk unconsciously writing off the time we still have left in the current one. We slip into the mindset of “I’ll start in January” or “next year will be my year,” forgetting that we have six whole weeks available to us right now, time that is just as valid and just as full of possibility as anything waiting on the other side of 31 December.
Six weeks may not sound like much, but remember: transformation doesn’t need twelve months to begin. Six weeks is enough to start a habit that will carry you into 2026 with momentum. It’s enough to tidy up loose ends that will otherwise weigh heavily on your mind next year. It’s enough to face something you’ve been avoiding, to take a single important step, to build confidence or to create clarity.
Six weeks can change your trajectory more than you think.
If you’re feeling behind, or stuck, or low on motivation that’s okay. You don’t need to overhaul your life in the final stretch of the year. You simply need to begin the thing you’ve been meaning to begin. Your load will be lighter, your mind clearer and your next year better for it.
Start now and you’ll thank yourself in January.
Start now and you’ll walk into the new year already in motion.
Start now and you’ll experience the truth of du Deffand’s words: once you’ve taken that first step, the distance matters far less.
If you’re looking to make the most of the rest of this year, and even more of next year get in touch. We can explore whether working together might help you take that first step or build momentum for the journey you want to create.
There’s still time in 2025. Still space. Still opportunity.
And you’re only one step away from it.
Patrick Hickman 