Philosophy

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu
Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)

I certainly am not well versed in ancient Chinese Philosophy, however, I think it is safe to say that this quote is all about taking a different perspective when faced with a big task. Instead of looking at the big picture and trying to go from A to Z in a single step, the task gets easier by taking time to complete the incremental steps.

For instance, the marathon runner who tricks them self into forgetting the finish line is a grueling 26+ miles away and focuses on the mile posts along the way.

In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.
Robert Heinlein (1907 - 1988)

And then there is the more Western view of setting goals, and however many incremental steps along the way it takes to achieve those goals, that you should continue to focus on that finish line despite how far off those goals may seem.