Hello and welcome to my first blog post. I am really excited to start this blog and share my thoughts about living a life with no regrets. I thought about doing this for over a month now and it took me a lot of overthinking and questioning myself until now, to actually write this. This is an issue that I struggled with my whole life. Delaying things that I actually want to do and instead is a real big problem when it comes to living life the way I want to live it. So in this blog I want to illustrate different reasons why getting started can be so difficult and explore some ideas that can help you, if you face a similar problem.
The harsh truth
Have you ever wondered if there is more to life than this? And with “this” I mean the way that you currently live your life. The reality is that we oftenhave goals that we don´t accomplish or dreams we aren´t able to make reality. It is a realization that hurts but that is necessary. If you can´t accept that you have not lived up to the potential of your life, there is no way you are able to change that. If however you can actually face the painful truth and accept that you haven´t fulfilled the potential of your life, you are off to a good start in order to do something about it.
The first step is huge
What comes to your mind when you read “the first step is huge”. Do you think in terms of the first step is really important, or do you think so huge that it is hard to take it. Well the truth is, either way you are right. And that is the problem. See, the first step is probably the most important in every journey. Without the first step the rest of the journey is not possible. Ironically that is also one of the reasons why it is so difficult to take it. We credit to much importance to it. Here is what you can do about it.
Don´t focus on the next steps
This tip might sound really obvious and therefore inefficient, but it is actually very valuable. Of course we don´t put our attention on the next step when we are about to take the first step. But unconsciously we often are afraid of the next steps, which can hold us back. When taking the first step on a new journey we might think that we aren´t capable enough for the next steps, that people will judge us for going on that journey or some other irrational thoughts that our minds create in order to keep us in our comfort zone. So the next time when you take the first step, try to focus all of your attention on that and disregard any thought about what comes after that.
You are gonna get better
As I am writing this I question my skills a lot. Thoughts like “My writing isn´t good enough.”, “who would want to read this anyway?” and “I don´t even know how to publish it properly.”. Those thoughts are real motivation killers. And they are absolutely inappropriate. Of course when we do something for the first time we aren´t gonna know everything and make everything right. And that is good. The problem is that we compare ourselves with others who have years of experience and therefore obviously are more skillful in what we want to do. I for example see all those successful blogs, which is why I have those thoughts. So what do we do in such a situation. We need to focus on ourselves. This is easier said then done but try not to compare yourself to others. It only kills your motivation and as you are going forward in your journey you are gonna become more skillful anyway as you gain experience and knowledge.
Time is your friend…and enemy
Imagine you want to take the first step, but instead of doing it, you postpone it into the future. And when that time arises that you postponed it to, you postpone it again and again, until you feel really down, because you didn´t dollow through with your plans. All that time that you wasted is now gone forever. Now imagine you would´ve started when you originally planned to and didn´t postpone it. That time is now working in your favor as you now are so much further in your journey then if you didn´t start. The problem is that not starting is the easy option in the short term,but having to live with the regret of not having started sooner is much harder in the long term. Whereas just getting started is the harder option in the short term, but living with the pride of being true to your plans is much easier in the long term.
Get the ball rolling
As you may have guessed by now the key is to just get started. Since we established that the first step is often the most difficult it also means that after it, it gets easier. Imagine a huge rock that is stuck in its place. Getting it out of there and moving it for the first time is really hard, but once it is rolling it is easier to keep it rolling. The same is true in live. Once you overcome the resistance of doing something for the first time, it gets easier and easier to do it. So the key is to just get started. But how exactly can we do that?
Just get started with this method
Imagine if there was a way to keep your mind from coming up with allnsorts of excuses before getting started. It would be so easy to just do it, since you can´t find a reason not to do it. The food news is that there is a way to do that: the 1,2,3 method. The method is used whenever you want to start doing something. Whenever you want to start doing something you simply count from “1” to „3” in your head and then you just get started with it. This might sound to simple to work but it actually does. The key is to just get started with it when you are at three and not delay that. The reason it works because in three seconds your mind doesn´t have enough time to generate excuses. That is why it is so important to start when you reach three and not to give your mind any more time. Once you then have started it is easy to keep going with it, because the initial resistance is overcome.
Final thoughts
I hope I was able to inspire you to just get started with working towards your dreams and goals. The 1,2,3 method might sound to easy to work but I use it a lot in my daily life and it works great for me. The important thing hpowever is that you start, how you get started is not that important, so if you have your own method feel free to share it in the comments. And with that said I wish you a great day.
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