Each week as I write these blog posts about the steps you can take to build your Life Beyond Kids, I think “now this is the most challenging part”. Until it’s time to write the next post and I’m thinking through that step.
In the last couple of weeks I’ve posted about answering questions, part of the process of envisioning the life you want to create, and believing that it’s possible.
The next step? You have to begin! It’s true. You have to just start. Stop thinking about it and just do it. Starting anything is hard. It’s new. Uncharted territory. Scary. There are no operating instructions. It feels uncomfortable. All the “what if’s” pop up in flashing neon colors. What if it’s not right? What if it doesn’t feel good? (Which, by the way, is really the bottom line, isn’t it?) When these what if’s pop up, what happens next? We procrastinate. We find a million and one reasons to not start.
Procrastination wears many hats, many very cleverly disguised. Some common ones, which I’m guessing you might recognize:
Today isn’t the right day
I thought I would get an earlier start on it and oh gee, just look at the time. I’d better wait
I haven’t had enough coffee
I’ve had too much coffee
Tomorrow will be less crazy
There is too much going on right now, this week, month, year …
After I get through ___________ (you can fill in the blank), then I’ll start
I will do better if I just focus on one thing at a time, and right now I’m focusing on ___________
I’ve had too many unexpected challenges this week and don’t want to add more stress
I have too many appointments this week. There is no time to start
You may have guessed that starting has some significance in my life, hence the name of this website! Time for full disclosure here. Starting is perhaps my greatest challenge. I am the QUEEN of procrastination. My choice, every time. I have perfected the art of procrastinating and fall back on it every time. It’s a comfortable friend. Why? Because I’m a planner. I want the crystal ball. I want to know that it’s all going to work out and exactly how I’m going to get there.
I remind myself on what seems like a daily basis that there are no crystal balls. Starting doesn’t get easier. There are no “right” answers. It’s a process you guys, and each one of these steps takes time and patience and the willingness to try. You don’t learn an entire piece of music all at once. You learn it one note at a time. And then you add the next note, and the next. The way you climb to the top of any mountain is by taking one step at a time. It sound tedious, but you know what? It works. Every. Single. Time.
It’s not something clear cut or simple, like deciding what you want to eat for dinner. This is a big project! We’re talking about creating an entirely new version of you. A new life. You’re not taking on the entire project today. Just one step. Decide on that one step. Write it down. Post it someplace where you’ll see it multiple times in your day. That’s all. One step today. When you’ve taken that step, take another one. It’s ok to proceed gently, but … you have to just start!
Your biggest fan,
Jean
Image: Taken by Kelvin Wing. On the Muir Snowfield, training for a climb of Mount Rainier, 14, 409 ft. One step at a time. It took many steps, but I got to the top later that summer!
