It’s easy to delay starting a project by telling yourself and asking yourself questions like: I don’t have the technical know how or business acumen. Where will I get funding from? Will this work? What if it fails? I have so much on the go already, how am I going to fit this in? I really am not sure of the steps involved in getting this project up and running from start to finish? Hell, what is the first step?
And so the list goes on. And with a vast amount of what if’s and doubts and possible action steps filling your head, you don’t start, because it all just seems so bloody overwhelming.
Often when I have an idea for a blog post, I procrastinate and delay starting, because I feel unsure as to what the content will consist of and whether I will have enough to write about. However, Once I start I find that its a lot easier and often the words just flow.
Writing a blog post is by no means a comparison to starting a business or any other large project, but it serves to prove a point, the point being that you just need to start. Starting is often the hardest thing, but things start to happen when you start.
In speaking to friends I have found a similar pattern being repeated as it applies to a wide variety of projects.
My one friend from France for instance wants to start a backpackers, but she is unsure as to what the first step will be, so procrastination kicks in.
She has questions regarding how she will get funding. She has doubts in herself and the fact that her business experience is limited.
Other friends of mine are also looking to start a business venture. They have the basic idea, but are not sure about certain technical aspects. And at the moment they have lots on the go, with their current jobs. And life in general is just ticking along.
The best advice I can give them and you is to just start. I have seen how this applies to writing blog posts. I have seen how this applies to many other aspects of my life, such as starting this blog. It’s funny how things just slowly take shape once you start. The way things take shape will vary from person to person and each journey as it relates to different projects varies.
There is no magic formula that says you need to know so much before starting and you need a plan that is 100% clear. Yes having some form of plan helps, but don’t let having a plan that is not concrete stop you from starting.
There are plenty of things that count as a start, such as sending an email to a friend whose advice and experience you value, asking a former work colleague for advice, meeting with someone over coffee, putting together a presentation or even just writing down and prioritising what needs to be done. These are all small steps, but they are a start.
So I urge you to make that start and see where it takes you. Don’t let the project in its totality stop you from starting. Break it down into manageable steps if you can.
Ask yourself what you can do right now to ensure that some sort of momentum is obtained, to ensure that you keep moving forward.
You had to learn how to walk didn’t you? This didn’t happen overnight. It involved lots of falling, stumbling and little baby steps along they way.
Start falling and stumbling about, start taking those little baby steps and see where it takes you. Just start. It’s often the hardest part. But the most important.
If you don’t start, you can’t make the journey. You can’t move. You can’t achieve success. If you don’t start nothing will happen. Nothing at all. Things will remain as is. So Just Start!
YOUR THOUGHTS?
What projects are you struggling to start?
