One Big Thing: Choose the Domino That Topples Your Next 12 Months

The morning after her layoff, my friend woke up to a phone full of advice: update the resume, take a course, go to five networking events, sleep more, meditate, start running, post daily on LinkedIn. She tried to do all of it. Within two weeks, she was exhausted—and still stuck.

Then she did one brave, simple thing: she chose one Big Thing. One domino she could push every day that would knock the next twelve months into motion.

That one choice turned the noise into a plan. It gave her a clear reason to get up each morning and a way to measure progress each week. A year later, she felt steady again—clear, grounded, moving.

This is the heart of Christine Carter’s book, Restart Strong. It’s a wise, warm guide for hard seasons and fresh starts. It meets you with empathy and clear steps, helping you build a life that matches your values and energy. When everything feels scattered, Restart Strong shows you how to pick your Big Thing and rebuild with purpose, one week at a time .

Why the “One Big Thing” Approach Works

It protects your energy

When your world shifts, time isn’t your only challenge—your energy is. Restart Strong calls fatigue the real barrier that can stop you from taking action. The fix is to manage time and energy together so the steps that matter get your best hours, not your leftovers .

It puts your “big rocks” in first

The book retells the classic “big rocks” story: if you pour in the sand (small stuff) first, there’s no room for what matters. But if you place your big rocks—health, family, passions—first, everything else settles around them. It’s a simple picture that reminds you to build your week around priorities that actually change your life .

It turns hope into habits

Christine urges you to write things down because “there is something immensely powerful about getting your thoughts and ideas out of your head.” Documentation makes goals real, then weekly follow-through gives them weight. When you put it on paper (or screen), you build a compass you can trust on low-motivation days .

What “One Big Thing” Really Means

Restart Strong defines One Big Thing as a bold, singular focus for the year—one choice that shapes your next chapter. It might be health, relationships, learning, or relocating. Christine even offers examples: recommitting to whole-person health, strengthening key relationships, letting go of a habit that doesn’t serve you, or laying down roots in a new city. Your Big Thing is the keystone. Everything else gets planned around it .

Start with Heart: Choose a Big Thing That Matches Your Values

Before you decide, get honest about your values. Christine calls values your North Star—a reliable guide when life gets complicated. In transition, this step is more than nice; it’s necessary. The book’s Strong Self exercises help you name what matters, define success in your words, and start from there. Your Big Thing shouldn’t be random; it should be rooted in who you are and who you’re becoming .

Ask yourself:

Which values must be honored in my next season?
What does “success” look like to me now?
Which people, places, and practices truly support me?

This values-first filter keeps your year from drifting off course. It helps you spend energy where it counts and say “not now” to the rest.

Christine’s Own Restart

Christine Carter knows transition from the inside. She tells how she left corporate life, crossed the country in an RV, and later restarted in a brand-new city with no job leads, no nearby community, and no clear next step. She didn’t find instant answers. She needed guidance and support, too. From that season came the exercises and reflections that became Restart Strong—to meet you in the messy middle and help you build your next chapter with clarity and courage .

She also speaks to the questions that haunt so many of us after a job loss or big change: “Am I even capable of fixing this? What if I fail? Did I miss my chance?” Her message is steady: you’re not alone, and those questions can point you toward what matters next .

The Golden Shift: Move Toward, Not Away

There’s a line Christine includes that lands with quiet strength: “Move toward the next thing, not away from the last thing. Same direction. Completely different energy.” It helps you stop running and start choosing. When you pick your Big Thing, ask: “What am I moving toward?” That one question changes everything .

How to Choose Your Big Thing

1) Ask the essential question

What one action, practiced all year, would change everything for me? Restart Strong invites you to answer this clearly and bravely. This is your domino—your One Big Thing .

2) Check it against your values

Does your Big Thing match the values you just named? If not, choose a different domino. Your North Star should point to it, not fight against it .

3) Keep it bold, not blurry

“Get healthy” is blurry. “Walk 30 minutes after lunch five times a week; cook dinner at home four nights; therapy twice a month” is clear. Restart Strong shows how vague goals create delays, while precise goals spark action right away .

Turn Your Big Thing into Weekly Wins

Write it down and set the horizon

At the top of a page, name your Big Thing. Beneath it, write 10 supporting goals and simple sub-goals you can start now. Christine encourages setting ten written goals because clarity turns into momentum, especially when each goal includes steps you control .

Make your goals S.M.A.R.T.

Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound. Instead of “gain industry knowledge,” try “complete a specialized certification by the end of the quarter.” Instead of “improve networking,” try “attend two professional events each month and connect with at least five contacts at each.” Specificity keeps you honest; time frames keep you moving .

Schedule what matters

Don’t just hope—calendar it. Christine suggests setting four check-ins across the year to review and realign. Put those dates in now so life can’t quietly erase them .

Tie actions to daily triggers

Attach your habit to something you already do. Walk right after lunch. Study right after coffee. Journal right before bed. Triggers lower the effort you need to begin, so you move even on tired days .

Track progress where you can see it

Use a wall calendar, a checklist, or a simple notebook. Check off each action you complete. When motivation dips, your streak will remind you that you’re showing up—and that counts more than you think .

Create room with “Stop–Start–Continue”

Christine offers a simple way to free up space:

Stop what no longer serves your path (for example: clinging to your old title, harsh self-talk).
Start one practice that supports your Big Thing (like weekly skill-building or self-compassion).
Continue what already helps (like staying close to your support system).
This honest list makes real room for real change .

One Big Thing: Four Real-World Paths

Health as the domino

Big Thing: “This year, I rebuild my health—body, mind, and spirit.”
Weekly commitments: three 30-minute workouts; one therapy session; daily 10-minute stretch; four home-cooked dinners.
Trigger: walk right after lunch; stretch after brushing teeth.
Tracking: check marks for workouts and therapy; a simple meal log.
Seasonal review: sleep hours, mood, labs, and stress load; adjust from there.
This matches Restart Strong’s guidance to protect energy and plan specific, time-bound actions you can control .

Relationships as the domino

Big Thing: “This year, I strengthen my most important relationships.”
Weekly commitments: one family night or date night; two check-in texts; one coffee with a mentor; one hour of unplugged time with a child or partner.
Trigger: send check-in texts right after breakfast.
Stop–Start–Continue: stop multitasking during calls; start scheduling time together; continue gratitude notes.
Christine’s examples highlight how naming what to stop, start, and continue builds space for the people who matter most .

Learning as the domino

Big Thing: “This year, I upskill for my next role.”
Weekly commitments: complete two course modules; build one small project to apply the skill; one networking chat with someone using that skill.
Trigger: study right after morning coffee.
SMART layer: “Complete a specialized certification by quarter’s end.” Precision and a deadline build momentum .

Relocation as the domino

Big Thing: “This year, I relocate to a city that fits my values and goals.”
Weekly commitments: research neighborhoods; talk with two locals; run a monthly budget check; explore one community space (online or in-person).
Trigger: 20 minutes of city research after dinner.
Example straight from Restart Strong: “lay down roots in a new city” to open yourself to fresh opportunities .

Make It Stick When Life Gets Messy

Protect your energy. Cut daily drains that don’t serve your Big Thing. Focus your best hours on what changes your future—your health, your job search, your people, your practice. Christine is clear: energy management is crucial, especially during a career transition .
Write like it matters. Keep a simple journal. Note weekly wins, lessons, and questions. Writing builds a plan you can rely on when motivation is thin .
Review seasonally. Four times a year, ask: Is my Big Thing still aligned with my values? What will I stop, start, and continue now? Adjust with kindness, then keep going .

When You Feel Stuck or Scared

Christine doesn’t skip the hard feelings. She names the doubts we whisper: Why didn’t I see this coming? Did I miss my chance? What if I fail? She reminds you: you’re not alone. Those questions are signals, not stop signs .

There’s a short saying in the book many readers carry with them: “Rejection is God’s redirection.” However you hold that, it’s an invitation to pivot with courage—to see closed doors as instructions to look for openings you couldn’t see before .

Job Search: Actions That Actually Move You Forward

Control what you can. Connect with one new contact each day. Attend two events each month. Tailor your resume weekly. Publish one industry piece monthly. Concrete steps beat vague wishes every time .
Shorten the timeline. “By the end of the year” breeds delay. “By the end of the month” sparks action. Christine shows how tighter windows—like enrolling in a course within two weeks—kickstart momentum now .
Link goals to your mission. The book helps you craft a simple career mission, then align your weekly commitments with it. When your “why” is clear, your time choices get clearer, too .

Your 7-Day Starter Plan

Day 1: Values check. Write your top five values. Star the one you forget when life gets busy. This is your North Star for the season .
Day 2: Name your Big Thing. Choose the one focus that—if practiced all year—would change everything. Write it at the top of a page .
Day 3: List ten supporting goals. Add one sub-goal you can start this week for each. Keep them within your control .
Day 4: Make them S.M.A.R.T. Add specific actions, numbers, and deadlines that fit your real life right now .
Day 5: Calendar it. Schedule your weekly actions and four seasonal reviews today .
Day 6: Stop–Start–Continue. Cut one drain, start one helpful habit, continue one practice that fuels you .
Day 7: Track it where you can see it. Use a wall calendar or simple checklist. Check it daily for two weeks, then review and adjust .

The Takeaway That Stays With You

Pick one Big Thing. Write it. Schedule it. Tie it to a daily trigger. Track it where you can see it. Review it four times this year. Let this keystone align your career change with your values and energy. Restart Strong gives you the tools; your daily push gives them power .

The moment you stop running from the past and start walking toward the future, your steps feel different. So, what’s your one domino—and when will you give it that first gentle push?

One Big Thing for Career Transition: Your 12‑Month Domino