Over the years, I have trained quite a few of new people in my job. The first thing that I always ask them, before showing them a single thing is,
"DO YOU KNOW HOW TO EAT AN ELEPHANT?"
Usually, they look at me as though I must be crazy, which I will admit, has been asked on other occasions as well. The answer to the question, in case you do not already know, is;
ONE BITE AT A TIME
The point of the exercise is to make the new employee think about what they are doing. Any task, especially a large and daunting task, can seem overwhelming, when viewed as a whole. However, when taken "one bite at a time" any task can be broken down into small, easily handled tasks.
A variation on this, of course is, "The longest journey begins with a single step." Again, the wisdom of this advise is simple:
DOING NOTHING ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING. IT TAKES ACTION TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING
