Living Well with Bri

The Ladder Analogy: One Step at a Time

After years of overthinking—imagining life weeks, months, or even years down the line—I’ve started applying the ladder analogy to my daily mindset.

I talked about this with my therapist, and while it’s nothing groundbreaking, it has been a powerful way to stop ruminating and overthinking.

Life is like a ladder. You can only take one step at a time. For so long, I found myself trying to predict the entire journey ahead of me. I wanted to see the whole staircase before taking the first step. But that only led to stress, analysis paralysis, and self-doubt.

The truth is, no one climbs a ladder in one giant leap. You wouldn’t try to jump five rungs ahead or skip steps without losing your balance. And if you did, you'd probably fall, feel stuck, or doubt whether you should keep climbing at all.

But when you focus on the next best step—instead of the entire climb—everything starts to feel more manageable.

Embracing the present moment this shift in perspective has helped me in so many ways. When I catch myself spiraling about the future, I pause and ask myself:

• What step am I on right now?

• What’s the next small thing I can do today?

That’s it. Nothing beyond that moment. Because worrying about ten steps ahead only creates unnecessary pressure. And if I’m always focused on the distant future, I miss out on the life that’s happening right now.

Some days, that step is simply getting out of bed and showing up for myself. Other days, I feel strong enough to climb higher, make big decisions, and push forward. But even on the hardest days, as long as I keep moving—no matter how slowly—I’m making progress.

When you trust the climb when you adopt this mindset, something shifts. You stop fearing the unknown because you realize that clarity comes through movement, not before it. You don’t need to have everything figured out before you take action—you just need to trust that each step will lead to the next.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or caught up in the "what-ifs", I encourage you to take a deep breath and remember:

• You don’t have to have the whole path figured out right now, You just need to take the next step

And that’s enough.

We’re all climbing our own ladders, one step at a time. And you’re doing better than you think.

With love and gratitude,

Bri