Getting Started Is The First Step to Success

We are all too familiar with the feeling of being excited about wanting to do something but not getting around to it.

Let me talk about myself. I know that if I start out on the little things, I’ll eventually end up with what’s really important.

Still, it never seems like the right time. But there really is no better time than now!

Starting something may seem like a contradiction to talking about how the “secret” of success is starting something, but listen: getting started is more than 50% of any project or effort.

Not to mention that the act of getting started is satisfying.

If you’ve never done anything like this before, it might be difficult to imagine. The whole “getting started” thing seems so obvious once you’ve done it a few times.

Obviously, you’re starting right now by reading this blog, right? You might not have considered it a start before because it’s so easy and we’re used to seeing things in terms of big starts and big finishes. But really, every little bit counts.

Before you read the rest of this blog, I want you to stop. Look away from your screen and jot down three things you want to do that are important but haven’t started yet (at least not recently).

You can come back and finish this article once you’ve finished that — no cheating! Go!

Did you do it? I hope so. Now keep working on those three things. Try to get them done in the next week.

This might be impossible or it might be easy, but you’ll find out.

If you can complete your tasks in a week, congratulations! Those are three things down and probably a few more to go! If it’s been hard for you to start on these items until now, why not take an additional step? Keep a journal about each task.

You can make a little reminder list by writing “Get Started” or “Start” or “Doing X” on the first day of your week.

This can help you get started as soon as you see it or as soon as you remember to do it.

And if you have to start with something big, all the better! A little bit of putting one foot in front of the other every day is much better than not doing anything at all.

If you’ve never started anything before and the idea of just doing it is overwhelming, start small.

Beating yourself up for not doing more isn’t going to help and is really bad for your mental health.

Just start one thing at a time and keep track of what you have done, even if it’s just a little bit every day.

Take advantage of the fact that there are seven days in a week! (Or, if you like using the Roman calendar, each month has about four weeks.

That’s a lot of opportunities to cross one task off your list.

You might be surprised at how quickly you can make progress this way. Just by focusing a little extra energy each week on getting started on something, you’ll have plenty of time to complete it.

And if you’re doing this for the sake of helping out someone else, then there’s an added benefit: you’ll see results fairly quickly.

If you’re holding someone else’s hand through a start, rather than just giving them instructions, you can be a cheerleader for them.

Seeing something get done is motivating and will help keep your loved one from giving up.

There’s no reason to wait to make a change in your life or to try something new.

Next time you feel like you’re stuck and need some motivation, try focusing on getting started. Just getting started is an amazing accomplishment in and of itself!

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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