It's an old saying - "Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves." But does it really hold true? How can we accomplish big or difficult things if all we focus on are little things?

Many times when people set goals or try to adopt new or different habits, they focus only on big ideas. "I want to be rich!" they say, or "I want to lose 50 pounds!". While these are wonderful goals, they're so big they can be overwhelming. Imagine yourself trying to lose 50 pounds for a moment. When you first start off, your goal would be like a mountain far off in the distance -- miles away and overwhelming. Is it any wonder people get discouraged and give up? Imagine you had to lose 25 pounds before you were even half way to meeting a goal!

Worse yet, a goal like "I want to lose 50 pounds" doesn't help you with knowing how to get there. The behavioral changes you have to make to reach that goal are completely disconnected from the goal itself.

Now compare that to this goal: "Each day for the next 30 days I want to only eat foods on the Phase I food list for the South Beach Diet". (Or, if that particular diet doesn't work for you, then substitute a sensible eating plan that you can live with.) That's a big difference, isn't it?

Similarly, almost all plans for accumulating wealth over your lifetime focus on having a disciplined savings plan. Few money managers will tell you to plan on striking it rich someday -- they say setting aside savings each month is the best way to get there. And the best way to ensure you have a little savings to set aside each month is to watch how you spend your money each day. By forgoing minor, unneeded expenses each day you can set aside a little bit each month -- which is how you build wealth over the long term.

Achieving big changes in your life is easier if you begin by focusing on the little changes required to get you there. Or, in terms of our old saying, focusing on the little things each day is exactly the best way to help yourself reach your big goals.

Or, to borrow another old saying, "A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step." No matter how big your goals are, they all come down to how you execute "the little things".

Kevin Bedell is an internationally recognized speaker, author and editor. He is founder of the "30 Days to Success" website 30days.itious.com For a list of different 30 day goal setting plans, visit his website at 30days.itious.com