The ladder of success is one of the methods for achieving a goal, which consists in breaking a large and difficult task into a sequence of simple, realistic tasks.
You have set a goal. You understand that the achievement of this goal depends on you, you feel that it is achievable, but … you stand still. What is needed to move from the stage of «designing life» and move into the mode of actual implementation? You need to build a ladder of success: break a big goal into small real stages, successive tactical steps, each of which is simple, understandable and doable, and all together, in the aggregate, they lead you to achieve the desired goal.
Another name for this method (see details there) is How to Eat an Elephant.