Today we begin our story in nature . Imagine you are walking in the woods , and you come to a little creek . You look over the water and spy some fat , ripe blackberries , wild grown , and ready for harvesting . You can't believe your good luck to find your favorite fruit , free for the taking , just a few meters across the creek . But then you look down and realize you're wearing your favorite shoes . A walk through the water will ruin them ! But you are also very , very , berry-hungry . In a creek or river , stepping-stones are rocks with flat tops that sit above the water line . You can cross a creek by stepping from one rock top to another . It is often used figuratively . A worker , for example , can use stepping-stones to reach a higher level or position in their company . Let's say it is your dream is to become the chief financial officer of a profitable and powerful investment firm . Your first stepping-stone on that path might be admission to a respected university . After completing your studies , you step to another stone , maybe it's a job as a teller at a small bank . Some time later , the bank offers you a supervisory position . All of them are helping to make your dream come true . Stepping-stones can be used to reach any kind of goal . But not every stepping-stone is a good place to land . And let's face it , most people do not enjoy being stepped on . They may be happy to provide a stepping-stone but usually do not want to serve as one . Using someone as a stepping-stone could be seen as stealing help . There is another way we use the term ‘stepping-stone .’ Stepping-stones can be parts of a process within a larger operation . For example , learning how to write code is a stepping-stone for many app developers .