Are you contemplating a change but lacking confidence? Are you always second guessing yourself and consequently never moving forward for fear of failing? I would like to challenge you to start now. Don’t just plan to do it, roll up your sleeves and go/do/start!
Just Start
I know it is March but I have decided over the past few weeks that my mantra this year is JUST START! Why? Because I don’t want to one day wake up as a 100-year-old who looks back and realizes I failed to accomplish anything because I didn’t try. I would rather be a 100-year-old who looks back and says “Well that didn’t turn out the way I thought but look at where it took me!”
I am tired of letting my perfectionism get in my way of trying new things. And let’s be honest, who is successful on their first try? Who wakes up and decides to run a marathon without ever having run a mile? It is unrealistic to think that something can be done to perfection on the first try. What you will find is that with each attempt, knowledge is gained, a new strategy is born and you persevere. You realized that you didn’t succeed but here you are still standing, stronger and ready to try again. You start to feel less scared and more determined.
As for me, starting a business has been a challenge to say the least. I have had my share of scared moments and “what have I gotten myself into” thoughts. I have read books, listened to podcasts and taken courses until my head was swimming with “do this,” “don’t do this” thoughts. I took all these ideas in and I tried to apply them. However, along the way I got stuck because I developed an idea of how I must do things based on someone else's strategy. I got so caught up in this and I became frustrated because I couldn’t seem to get past this process and I couldn’t move forward. I finally decided I was throwing it all out the window. It was not helping me and was stopping me from making any progress in my business. I decided I am going to “just start” and do it my way! Is it the best way? Probably not, but that’s ok. I can always change it later. As soon as I decided this, I felt the most amazing lightness like a huge burden had been lifted. My wheels immediately started spinning with ideas. I felt like I found my momentum again.
starting means you are moving forward
Typically starting is just the first step of many and the good news is that once you start, whether things are perfect or not, you can then move to the next step in the process. Without taking step one, you can’t move to step two so by merely starting (however good or bad it is), you are allowing yourself to move forward toward your goal. I have realized that my past way of thinking (perfect or nothing) was only holding me back. There is nothing that says step one can’t be revised at a later point. Often what I find when I utilize this strategy is that I discover step one wasn’t really as bad as I thought. Looking back, I am often able to be a little bit more objective and less critical. It is much easier to put it into perspective after taking a step back and often I can even laugh a little at the things that did go wrong.
You will find that something happens when you start, you will experience a mind shift. The act of starting allows you to begin defining yourself in a different way. By starting a running routine, you go from someone who runs to a runner. The act of shifting the way you think means that you are more likely to support that idea. What does a runner do? They run, of course! The next time you see your running shoes, you are more apt to put them on and go for a run. And with more practice comes mastery. One day you realize you are running faster and further than ever before, all of a sudden you are a marathoner! This all happened because you took the first step!
Wherever you currently are in life, I hope that you will take that first step today and JUST START! It doesn’t have to be a leap or even a big step, just a baby step will do. Don't worry about being perfect. As George S. Patton once said: "A good plan violently executed is better than a perfect plan executed next week."
Coaching Corner Questions:
What roadblock is in your way?
What can you do to remove it?
What is the smallest step that would have the biggest impact on starting your journey?
What advice would your 100-year-old self give you today?
What would it feel like to begin today?
By starting, how will this change how you see yourself?