“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
If we’re being honest, most people don’t need more information — they need to give themselves permission to start.
I see this constantly with both professionals and entrepreneurs alike: they’re not stuck because they’re lazy or unclear… but because they’re trying to map out steps 2 through 50 before taking step 1.
They’re trapped in perfectionism hell, whiteboarding themselves into paralysis.
This came up in a session recently when a client told me, “I just need to figure out the whole process before I make a move.”
When I asked her why, she paused.
“I guess I’ve never thought about it any other way.”
Boom. That’s the lie we’ve internalized: if I don’t have the full blueprint, I can’t begin.
But here’s the truth: you don’t need a full plan. You need a direction and a first step.
Enter: The ABZ Framework
It’s dead simple. So simple it almost feels insulting. And that’s why it works.
A – Where you are today (✅ quick to assess)
B – The next small step (➡️ solve for B)
Z – Where you want to go (✅ your end goal)
That’s it. Not the full alphabet. Not every milestone or funnel step. Just A → B → Z.
The truth is, once you take step B, step C becomes obvious.
But if you try to plan C through Y without living through B, you’ll just spin.
Z Is Everything
Without a clear Z — your desired destination — you’ll confuse motion with progress.
You’ll follow logical next steps that lead you somewhere, but not necessarily to where you want to be.
Want more revenue? Cool.
Want $75K in new consulting revenue by December? That’s actionable.
Z gives B meaning.
Real-World ABZ Examples
A – Zero newsletter subscribers
B – Reach out to 100 connections and ask them to join your newsletter
Z – 1k newsletter subscribers by December
A – Haven’t sent a newsletter in months
B – Write and send one issue this week
Z – Weekly publishing habit by July
A – All over the place on social
B – Choose one platform, post value 5x/week
Z – 5,000 new followers by December
Why This Matters
If you’re trying to escape time-for-money work, live where you love, or build a business that pays you in meaning — not just income — then you can’t afford to get stuck in mental spreadsheets of future hypotheticals.
Most people never build their new life because they’re too busy trying to perfect the blueprint.
But real momentum? That starts when you solve for B.
Stop trying to solve problems you don’t even have yet.
Identify your next step. Do it. Repeat.
You don’t need the entire plan to begin building something meaningful — you just need to take the next honest step.
Live bravely,
Michael
P.S. What’s your current “A,” and what’s the real next step — the one you’ve been dancing around?
