|
|
|
|
Reading time: 2:28 minutes
|
Imagine a dark night. Like under-duvet-dark. You are outside. Stretching the hand feels scary because you don't know what you might touch. A few hundred yards in front of you is a house you want to reach. How can you go on when you can't see your own hand?
|
|
|
A small illuminated circle emerges, with you in the centre.
Suddenly it's not so scary anymore. You pushed the darkness back. Just a little back. But that's enough to curb the fear a bit. And it gives you clarity. You can see where you are. And you can decide which way to go. That small action? It gave you new options. It gave you the ability to progress.
Now come back to your life.
|
What was the last idea you had and dropped? Did you ever think about painting a picture? Starting a business? Learning to play the guitar? Did you see or hear about something and thought: "I would love to do that."? And then you just dismissed it?
|
"I could never do that."
"I am not skilled, gifted, able."
"I wouldn't even know what to do or where to start."
|
Most dreams are killed by dreamers, not by failure. Why? Because dreams come in the dark. In a pitch black. And the light comes up only when you take the first action.
|
Starting is the key to achieving your goals.
|
Whatever you are thinking of doing, taking the first step is like lighting a torch. The small, simple action you took is now illuminating your path. It reveals only the first few steps. But as you keep moving forward, you discover new areas you wouldn't have seen otherwise.
|
You learn by doing, not just by thinking.
|
By starting, you gain valuable experience. You learn through trial and error. You grow and develop new skills. Yes, it feels uncomfortable. Guess what? It never feels comfortable to step out of comfort zone. That's what the comfort zone is all about.
|
A comfort. Familiarity. Things you did before. Things you know.
|
But creating something new, something you never did before? That's scary. How will other people react? Will I look like a fool? What if I will make a mistake? Let me tell you something.
|
It's inevitable. When you do something new, you stumble. You fall. There's no way around it. Just get up and try again. But take that first action. Test the waters.
|
Do you want to start a business? And you don't feel ready or prepared? So you will just wave it off and do nothing? Here's a better way.
|
- Research your industry
- Find out how to create a basic business plan
- Make a prototype of your product or description of your service
The founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely, started her company with only $5,000 and a dream. She had no background in fashion or business, but she believed in her idea and took action. She created a prototype and tested it with friends and family. Today, Spanx is a billion-dollar company that has revolutionized the fashion industry.
|
When you start, you gain momentum and confidence. Each subsequent step will be easier and more comfortable as you continue to take action. The torch (aka your actions) will reveal new areas, new parts of the path.
|
If you wait until you feel fully prepared, you may miss opportunities. You will be stuck in a cycle of planning and preparation without ever taking action. Stagnation is frustrating. And it undermines your confidence. Which leads to more delays because you don't feel ready. To break out of this vicious circle, you need to light the torch.
|
Starting before you're ready is not about being reckless or careless. It's about trusting yourself and having faith that you'll figure it out as you go. You embrace the unknown and the discomfort that comes with it.
|
And when you do, you'll be surprised by what you're capable of and how much you can achieve.
|
|
Do you have a dream you dismissed until today? What are you going to do about it? Will you light the torch? Will you act?
|
Let me know at growing@treeoflife.quest
Till next week
Lubo
|
|
What you can do next:
- Did you find the content valuable?
Do you know someone who could benefit from information like this?
Please forward the email to them.
- Have you been forwarded this email?
Do you like it?
Here is the link you can use to subscribe.
The Growing Tree of Life newsletter is sent out every Thursday.
Reading time is usually 4 minutes or less.
- Check out the Tree of Life Quest website.
- Do you have questions, comments, suggestions or complaints?
I would LOVE to hear from you.
You can reply to this email or use the Contact me Form.
- Follow me on Twitter for daily tweets about personal growth, life improvement and occasional threads with tips and tools you can use.
(Note: I don't post on other platforms too much. Yet.)
- If you want to unsubscribe from the Growing Tree of Life newsletter, the link is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Thank you for reading.
See you next time.
|
Lubo
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
