Did you ever have dreams of a project that you really wanted to do, but you just never got around to it?
For example, what if you always wanted to write a book? But you kept putting it off and putting it off and putting it off again. Every time you thought about it, you found a reason not to get started.
How might your life be different now if you had just taken action - taken that first step?
Do you see a similar pattern with projects you always wanted to do? Even with the best plans, nothing happens until you actually get started!
Here are some reasons why getting started is an essential practice:
1. Nothing actually happens until you get started. All the planning and visualizing won’t move the needle. You actually have to start doing something to produce results. No action? No results.
2. Momentum. Getting started can be challenging, but the progress builds with time. Once you begin, things start happening. As you continue, your results grows exponentially. But you have to get over the hump. Start now.
3. Learning while doing. Studying is good but on the job learning is amazingly better. You’ll never learn more about writing, internet marketing, sales, or playing the piano than you’ll learn by actually doing it.
4. Continual analysis can lead to paralysis. Yes, planning is important. But it’s easy to fall into the trap of continually analyzing and planning. And you can fool yourself into believing that you are actually taking action when all you’re doing is stuck on planning.
5. Future projects are easier. Getting started with something new becomes a habit. If you can get started today, you can make adjustments and improvements as you go. And the next project will be that much easier to start.
6. Your self-esteem is boosted. We silently loathe ourselves when we procrastinate for too long. We know that we’re simply too scared to begin and to risk failure. You’ll be much more pleased with yourself after you get started.
7. You reach your goals faster. This seems obvious, but few people consider it. If you had started chasing your goal a year earlier, you’d be successful a year earlier, too.
8. Your self-perception changes. When you take action, you begin to see yourself as someone that takes action. This perception of yourself will eventually lead to creating a habit of getting started quickly.
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These are just some of the reasons why getting started is so important. Are you ready to get started on something now? Yes, starting is often the most difficult part!
To get yourself over that hump, “chunk down” your project into small, achievable steps. If those steps look too hard, break them down even further until you get to one small action you can take to get started.
Then do it! Take that one small action today!
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay