Carmen
What’s your biggest goal in life? And why haven’t you done it yet?
I don’t know about you, but my list of goals is endless. It ranges from the small (putting away the clean laundry) to the large (writing and publishing several books and getting film deals out of them).
Sometimes it seems impossible to even start working towards our goals, even if it’s a small thing. Why is it so hard to get started?
Eventually, procrastination makes our to-do list even longer, and it seems all the more daunting to begin.
According to author Paul B. Brown, there are five main reasons why we find it so difficult to get started:
- Change is not only difficult, it is scary.
Inevitably, this leaves us wanting to delay beginning as long as we can.
- No one wants to fail.
After all, if we don’t work on our goals, at least we technically won’t fail, right?
- Looking silly is a greater fear than failure.
It’s daunting to chase after your goals, but what if people mock you for even trying? It’s embarrassing and even more off-putting.
- You convince yourself you don’t have sufficient money, staff, approvals, whatever, to start something new.
Having the right resources makes us feel more confident that we’re ready to take on any challenges.
- Life gets in the way.
We are all busy and our “to do” lists are incredibly long as it is. Who has time to devote time to anything new right now?
All these reasons are perfectly valid, and this list itself is not exhaustive.
But in all honesty, does it matter?
Let’s say you want to run a marathon and you need to begin training as a complete amateur. Where do you start?
Any athlete will tell you that all it takes is a single step forward. You can stretch and warm up all you like, but you won’t move forward without putting out your foot and placing it on the ground.
And then another step.
And another.
And another.
By taking this small step, you can work towards your goal. Every stumble is a learning lesson, and even needing to take a step back will give you the opportunity to access your progress.
Before you know it, you’ve walked a thousand miles.
If you want something to happen, you need to begin by making that first small move, as daunting as it may feel.
So take that first step.
