“I couldn’t do certain stuff, even when I desperately wanted to. I didn’t know how to start. So I did the smallest things I could do, which made the biggest difference.”
I spent my life trying to answer this simple question – what’s the right way to start something … or anything?
I wanted to be able to step outside my conventional life. I wanted to do what I feared. I had this simple intention of making life better, and exploring more – but I didn’t make an effort.
I questioned myself why I wasn’t doing what I wanted to.
After all, nothing was stopping me. Yet, I wasn’t doing anything significant, either. I realized certain reasons always made starting harder for me.
Why don’t we start what want to?
It’s a simple question.
Why don’t we?
You can twiddle your thumbs for some minutes, introspect for a while and yet not arrive at a convincing conclusion.
I’m no different.
I’ve dealt with inner-resistance, felt like a loser, and remained confused – but couldn’t find an answer.
I couldn’t figure out the exact reason that prevented my growth and kept me in the pause state.
Though, I think I found the cause finally – I had a mix of fears, doubts, and insecurities within me.
I came up with random excuses to justify my inaction. I didn’t want to know how bad I was. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself or lose my self-respect.
And therefore I never started.
Until I finally decided to.
Then I knew this simple secret to starting.
The reason why we don’t start
Most people don’t start because they visualize their whole journey and process – at once.
Like, how they would succeed, what they’ll become, all the way to the end. Their imagination runs wild.
Though, what’s wrong with this approach is that while you’re busy dreaming of a paradise, all the possibilities of odds strike you at once.
You start dreading of what may go wrong instead of working. You entrap yourself in a web of negative feelings, escaping which is hard.
So you do nothing.
Yet, there’s a cure.
You can somehow overcome those self-deprecating feelings and do what you wish to do.
How to start something new in life
It’s not even a secret – merely a simple practice.
As time passed, I made mistakes and learned my lessons.
Or at least, I prepared to confront my inner obstacles and figured out what I needed to do.
The right way to start anything, regardless of whatever it is, is to take the smallest step you can.
That’s all.
Sorry if that doesn’t sound like a big revelation.
- When I wanted to overcome stage fear and speak in public, I tried to raise my hand and answered questions in my classroom. I became a part of whatever occurred on the stage, so I once acted as King Lear in a drama. Then I gave tiny speeches on stage until I could host a program one day.
- When I wanted to write, I simply jotted some quotes. I participated in a poetry competition in high school. I wrote my first short story in a rough book. Then I started a blog, got published on some big blogs, and wrote a book.
- When I wanted to take up solo travel, I first explored the surroundings alone to get used to the feeling. Then I went to parks and malls and movies alone. Finally, I did travel alone where I wanted to.
Everything you want to do seems complex and scary, but only until you face it.
Once you engage yourself in an activity, you grow. Your success may take a little longer, but you prosper eventually.
Here are some simple examples
- If you want to jog, simply put on your shoes in the morning and sit, until you feel like running one day.
- If you want to paint, buy a set of brushes, some paint, and sit in front of the blank canvas. Eventually, you’ll paint.
- If you want to be a refined public speaker, stand in an empty auditorium and visualize yourself speaking. It’ll thrash your fear.
Find a dot which will connect you to everything else. Choose a place to step your first foot on. Do what requires the least effort.
Gradually, you’ll do what you thought you couldn’t. It may even look like a miracle. But it’ll nothing more than an outcome of your little efforts.
Remember this if starting appears hard to you
While you might want to trick yourself into thinking there’s a secret to starting or doing big things in life, there isn’t.
You can do the great work you aspire to do, and even tackle the little challenges you struggle with, without sacrificing too much at once.
All you need to do is find the smallest thing you’re capable of doing and then do it. Everything changes after that. So go, get the ball rolling and rest will take care of itself.