It doesn’t matter what your goal is, the best time to start is always now. How many times do you hear people say they’re starting a diet next week? Or, they’re going to cut back on spending after their next pay check? Or, they’re planning on starting a new workout program on Monday? Well the truth is we spend way too much time planning to start something without ever starting it.
Don’t know where to start?
Just start. Often times I don’t know where to start when writing a blog post, or studying for an upcoming certification, or developing a new skill. And the best thing I do is just start. Start anywhere. A lot of times we get paralyzed by the fact that we don’t know where the finish line is, or the route to get there. That uncertainty causes us to do nothing. But the truth is, this uncertainty, this uncharted route and unknown destination is very common in many things we do. We start, and we find the route as we go. We create the route as needed and consistently get closer to the destination. By just starting, you’ll start to build the confidence to progress faster. If you don’t know where to start, just start anywhere. The worst that can happen is you’ll find routes that don’t work. Which is progress in itself.
Don’t have the motivation to start?
Just start. Whether it’s my grueling 5k training regiment, my weekly 2 hour meal prep, or my everyday work assignments, I rarely have the motivation to start. Productive activities can be difficult and hard to look forward to. Your inner drive and motivation swings day-to-day and on the lows it feels like you don’t want to do anything. Well the answer is just start. You’d be surprised by your mind’s innate ability to gain motivation once an action has been put into motion. I may not be in the mood to run but even just putting on my running shoes sparks motivation. After my shoes are tied I start to move around, loosen up, and visualize my run. Each of these small steps starts to build my motivation. By the time I’m walking out of my apartment door, I’m excited to run. Excited to start. Excited to finish. Something I didn’t think was possible given my mood 10 minutes earlier.
Doesn’t make sense to start?
Just start. It didn’t make sense for me to start building a website, or chasing my dad’s 5k time, or reading a book a month when I had a full time job that needed my attention and a master’s capstone project due in two months. It rarely makes sense to start something new. There’s always a better time to start, better situations to start in, a better plan to come up with first. And, we rationalize that if there’s a way to do it better, we better not do it yet. The fact is, it never makes perfect sense to start. And it never will. So stop making excuses for why things can’t be done, and just start.
Summary
Life is difficult. Things get in the way. We’re paralyzed by the unknown. We make excuses. We let ourselves get sidetracked. There’s always a better time…
… Just start.
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