How do you eat an elephant?

Deciding pursuing a long-distance trek can be overwhelming.  During my AT experience this axiom was regularly stated in the trail community and was one of the more important things I carried along with me:

How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.

Its important to have short-term goals when pursuing a big goal.  On the AT, I focused on getting to the next town or shelter.  When times were tough, I focused on getting to the next water source or road crossing.  Since the trail, I’ve found this to be one of the best lessons I learned in that experience.