Why is it so hard to start sometimes? Especially something meaningful or with deep purpose?
Recently, I caught myself doing it again, resisting writing. Saving it like a beautiful gift put away until I have more time to enjoy it perfectly. One of the most exciting aspects of starting my own business is having the opportunity to write on a regular basis. In addition to standard content like website copy or promotional materials, there are social media posts, course plans, email campaigns, etc. The list goes on. That may seem daunting to some people, but not me. I was thrilled.
Until.
Until many of my business basics were in place, and I started to feel a familiar longing – a yearning to be writing and sharing my voice.
But I have a business plan to refine.
A mailing list to build.
A free offer to develop.
All things that arguably should come first.
The problem, I soon realized, was that I was using those things as excuses - to not write, to not be doing the very thing I love doing. They were reasons that were stopping me from fulfilling my soul’s purpose.
“It’s the start that stops most people.” A fellow coach and friend, Glen Brown, recently shared this Don Shula quote with me. And he’s right.
Starting means making a covenant, a commitment to fulfill a desire.
Starting also invites in the possibility of failure, and sometimes that feels terrifying.
If you never start, you never fail.
If you never create the class, no one can ever not come.
If you never launch the new website, no one can ever say they don’t like it.
If you never write the blog post, no one will ever read it and know you differently.
In one tiny moment, never starting may feel like the safer option. But in truth, it’s insidious, slowly eroding trust in our ability to seek what we desire.
We are born yearning to fulfill our own unique soul’s calling; we’re invited to this life to be seen and heard, and to do the same for others.
Never starting denies you those opportunities. Never starting means you never really get to live.
When put that way, I choose to start. I may fail, and I may not. But at least I’ll have lived trying.
What about you? What do want to start today?