As the Nike ads say, “Just do it!”
Knowing what you want and where you are heading is half the battle won, but in order to actually get there, you have to take some action! You must take the first step and get started, not only to move closer towards your goal, but also to really commit to your intentions and to let the world know that you are serious about this. The first step can be the hardest but once you’ve done it, it’s easier to keep moving.
If you are having trouble taking the first step, ask yourself why? Is the first step too daunting? If so, break it down into smaller, more manageable steps. Keep breaking it down until the first step is easily doable so you can get started and then build on the momentum you have created from there.
A common stumbling block is fear – fear of failure, fear of the unknown, even fear of success. A certain amount of fear is perfectly normal – accept that this is a natural response and do it anyway.
Another obstacle can be that you don’t have all the steps worked out yet. Ie, you don’t have all the “how” figured out. You may not know how you are possibly going to achieve your outcome, or you may have most of it figured out with a few fuzzy areas that aren’t clear. Don’t let this stop you! As long as you know where you want to go (can see your intended outcome clearly) and can identify the first step required, then you have enough information to get started. Trust that the next steps will become clear along the way. Think of it as a journey- there will be signposts along the way and if you get stuck you can always stop and ask for directions!
A great analogy of this is driving a car. When we drive at night we can only see as far as our headlights shine, maybe 100 metres max. We trust that by the time we have reached the end of that 100 metres, we will be able to see the following 100 metres, and so on. If we need to drive from Auckland to Invercargill, we don’t need to know every single road, stop sign, intersection, along the way. We know how to leave Auckland. We know that we need to be on State Highway One and which direction we need to go. We trust that there will be signposts along the way to help us get to our final destination. We also have resources we can use for help such as maps, and we can ask other people for assistance if we get stuck.
If you are clear on “What” you are trying to achieve and “Why”, then the “How” will take care of itself. You just have to make a start.
If you still haven’t moved, you need to ask yourself “is this something I really want for myself?” If you can’t wholeheartedly say yes, then go back and choose something that is honest and real for you.
It’s not rocket science but as Albert Einstein once said, “Nothing happens until something moves.”
Written by Jacqui Thomas
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© Jacqui Thomas, 2010
