Start NOW: Action will create inspiration

Thought I’d start out todays post with a quote…because if you know me at all, you know I love sharing positivity.

A new week is upon us!

I thought I’d share some thoughts about why we procrastinate to start something.  You know how sometimes you’re not really in the mood to do something until it starts and suddenly it’s great and you’re glad you pushed yourself? There’s a phrase that says something like…it’s the start that stops most people.  And it’s so true!

Can you think of any of the following:

  • the social gathering you didn’t want to attend but ended up enjoying and even offering to help organize the next one
  • the workout session that took all your willpower to begin but left you feeling more energized once you finished
  • the healthy recipe you tried to humor your best friend that helped spark ideas on how you can improve your own diet
  • the project that seemed so overwhelming at first but once you started, you realized how much you enjoyed the process.

 

The thing is, we never really know how we will feel when we do something until we actually do it.  This gap in knowledge oftentimes gets in the way of our progress, especially if it’s something new, or difficult.

Why is that?

Because we’re afraid that we won’t like it, it’ll take too much time or that we will fail in our execution.  Then we tend to overwhelm ourselves with questions and conditions.  We try to figure everything out beforehand and guarantee that we will succeed before we even start. But thats simply not possible and will often paralyze us from starting!

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit at home and think about it. Get out and get busy.” — Dale Carnegie

The only way to get the answers you seek, to know for sure if the idea you have is worth trying, is by actually trying it. If you can get yourself to start executing, you will naturally create momentum.  This will move you forward and into completion.

The more you do something, the less afraid you are of it, the more expertise you’ll gain along the way. Ultimately, this expertise will help you make connections, have new ideas, and come up with innovative ways of solving the problems you face, also known as inspiration!

Your only responsibility is to get the ball rolling and just start!

No matter how daunting the task at hand, no matter how big the goal and no matter how unmotivated you feel, if you can figure out how to start, you’ll figure out how to finish.

Here are three principles you can apply to help you.

  1. Make it really easy to start: 

    Break your goal down into the tiniest task you can accomplish, and then focus on that, rather than the bigger picture. For instance, you don’t need to know exactly which books you’ll have to read, to enroll into that course you’ve always been curious about. All you need to worry about is getting yourself into that class.  When you do, you’ll probably find someone willing to show you around. Remember, take baby steps towards your bigger goal!

  2. Expect to fail: 

    Because fear of failure is often the the biggest obstacle to starting, you can choose to embrace it instead. Realistically, if you’re doing something for the first time, you’ll probably either fail completely or perform terribly at it anyway. Working with this knowledge, you’ll free your mind up from the pressure of having to be excellent on your first try. Instead open yourself up to curiosity and experimentation. Don’t let the fear of failure hold you back!

  3. Never give up:

    When you do fail, whether is a minor set back or a big flop, do not give up on your goals. Dust yourself off, evaluate what worked and what didnt and then keep going.  The only way to really fail is to stop trying!

start

Challenge yourself to create the shortest, most horrible rough draft of whatever goal you’re trying to achieve.  You can then build up from there and before you know it, you’ll have your masterpiece.

In the spirit of the famous Nike slogan, just do it!

Until tomorrow,

Day 3 of 100 days of blogging!


SOURCES:

https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/action-breeds-confidence

https://jamesclear.com/motivation