“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”
If you have at least one goal that has been following you for the last year and you have yet to get started say “I!”. Well, What’s stopping you? I’ll be honest, I’ve been there. I carried my music goals around with me for YEARS! Even after acquiring more than enough experience, educational training, support from some of the best mentors in the industry, and investing in vocal lessons like crazy, I STILL procrastinated! Your reason for not starting might be different than mine, but ultimately the root is fear.
Fear is more than a feeling. If you entertain it in your thoughts, it’ll try to order your steps. It’ll plant seeds in your mind like “you don’t know what you’re doing. Don’t waste your time. Why put so much effort into something that doesn’t guarantee success?, you’re going to embarrass yourself.” Well, what I say to that is, the only way to know whether something will work for you or not is to believe in myself, trust God, and do it. I know that if I continually plant seeds (work towards something specific), in due time I will reap a bountiful harvest. Don’t limit yourself to think in “what if” terms. Turn your “what if” into “when this happens”. Challenge yourself, learn new things, and change your seeds if your strategy isn’t working, but never stop planting.
will rob you of the future you
Can I tell you a secret? You will never be 100% ready. It doesn’t matter how many experts pour into you, how many books you read, or how much training/experience you have. Do you think I was 100% ready when I got married? Nope! Do you think I was super confident and prepared when I had my first child? Smh, not even close! How about when I started my blog? Do you think I did a ton of research on blogging and I was ready to start growing my email list? Lol. I prepared as much as I could, then I had to trust myself and trust that God has my back (which He always does) and wah-lah! Here I am, and things have been slowly, but steadily moving in the right direction.
Do everything you can possibly think of to prepare. After acquiring all you need get started right away. Don’t give yourself time to doubt yourself or what your about to do. Just go. Experiment with the knowledge you have. Take note of what works well for you and what you need to change. Don’t over think, over prepare, or over consult. This will only leave you with more questions than answers. Prepare as much as you can for your first step. After making the step, explore the land, build a few trees and then move onto the next step. Repeat the process until you hit your target.
Lao Tzu
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Right now I want you to think about the goal you’ve been carrying around with you for over a year. How do you feel when you think about it? Are you excited? Are you nervous? Maybe anxious? Just relax. Take a deep breathe and consider the first steps you would need to take to get the ball rolling. Is there anyone that you know right now, that could help you? Do you have any of the necessary resources needed to start? If you said “no” to either of these I want to challenge you.
I know without a doubt that you definitely know at least one person that can help you get started. They can do something as basic as hold you accountable and help you maintain your focus. Although this is simple, it’s a BIG deal! Having accountability is like having a personal coach. They’ll help whip you into shape and remind you of your purpose, your reason for wanting to achieve the goal, and the wonderful benefits you’ll reap from your labor. They’ll also notice things you’ve grown accustom to like laziness in some areas, lack of consistency, not having clear steps, cycles and routines that are holding you back, etc. Having an extra pair of eyes looking in will help you see clearly.
Another tool you have to get started is built inside of you. Your brain! It’s full of creative idea’s, divine strategies, and endless possibilities. Use it to imagine what you want to create. Break it down into long and short term goals meaning, write down the first 3 things you need to do to get started. Build a plan and stick to it. Having accountability, plus using your natural resource (your brain) is easy peasy! None of us have an excuse for our lack of progress this year. Getting started isn’t as hard as you thought!
before you start. You just need to start.”
Let go of trying to have all the answers and all the right moves. Make the best decisions you can. When you fall, get up and keep it moving. Don’t get distracted thinking about what people will say or think. Live your life. Be intentional about maximizing your time here on earth and start killing it! I encourage you to start your business, go out and make mistakes, start singing in public, dance and act a fool, who cares! Get comfortable being uncomfortable and enjoy it! Fear God and enjoy life!
Until next time,
Xoxo
Saturday At 11am (EST)
26 Comments
So true, you are never 100% ready for anything. Even if you think you maybe ready you never know what is going to come your way and change things up.
Exactly. We can only prepare as much as we can for the moment and then have faith, jump off the cliff, and enjoy the ride! Haha
This is a really good post. A lot of person struggle with getting started. Fear is one of the biggest reasons. The key is to conquer your fears.
*High five* honestly! Fear kills potential if we don't challenge it.
I love this post, it is so encouraging. The best way to start is today and then every day will get you closer and closer to that destination you want to reach.
You got it!
This was very inspiring, I have a dream that has been sitting a side because I need a job to finance it – and job hunting has not been going well so this has really helped me to see past the fear of not getting a job. I will kepe pushing forward and staying inspired!
*High five!* That's wussup! Girl, maybe it's time for you to start a business? 😉
It is so easy to let fear hold us back, isn't it? My hubby is so good at just going for it with his dreams. It's time for me to catch up! Thanks for the inspiration.
That's awesome! It's always good to have someone connected to you that challenges you to see what's possible and not focus on distractions like fear! I can't wait to hear about what you create! Get em girl!
Me myself. I have learned that throughout the years. It's never someone else stopping me – it's my own fear. Fear of failure or fear of not being ready or fear of commitment. The problem is that even though I'm aware of this, I sometimes let myself be blindfolded by this very fear 😛
Thanks for this post, it came just at the perfect time!
I know, it's a hard cycle to break. Send me an email, I'd love to help you work through this. Tee.Forever@Outlook.com
I love it!!! Thanks for the encouragement and kick in the pants. Fear is a dream killer and I refuse to let my dreams die. God does have our backs.Go reach your music goals!
*High five!* Right! I can't allow myself to be boxed in. Thanks for the support girl! Appreciate it. Xoxo!
This was such a motivating post. Letting fear take ahold of us is something that everyone struggles with, its great to have so many ideas to help inspire us.
You're right. Fear tries to convince us that the worst will happen, or the bad thing that we don't want to happen will happen which is a complete lie. We can't allow fear to paralyze us anymore. Let's live in freedom
The first step is always the hardest. But once you've made it, the rest will follow much easier. I find it very helpful to break a big goal into smaller goals, so that I can see that I am heading towards it and the progress I'm making.
You're 100% right. Breaking big goals into smaller goals is one of the easiest ways to accomplish tasks/goals. It makes "eating the elephant" a lot more bearable.
Fear is a huge reason not to get started for sure. But you never know what will happen if you don't take the first step! 🙂
You got it!
I love these quotes. They are so motivational. Just getting started is often half the battle.
Thanks baby!
We are never 100% ready for anything. We just need to work hard to get where we want!
Yaasss! Work hard and work smart! *high five*
Great reminder – I actively try and choose to just get started but it can always be hard… Sometimes when I do get going, and I'm enjoying it, I wonder why I didn't start sooner!!
Totally agree with your statement. You've inspired me to write a few articles about my skills and hopefully it will help inspire others.