It’s hard to get started, and the pressure you feel is very stressful.
“Getting started” could mean a lot of different things, so let me talk about a few of them. For one thing, getting started in the morning can be pretty difficult for a lot of folks; just getting to that first cup of coffee can be the biggest challenge of the day! Try this: at the end of today, try to save something for tomorrow that you are really looking forward to doing. Then, when your eyes open and that dreadful feeling of “I don’t wanna get up!” starts to flood over you, you might remember the fun thing you saved for yourself and jump out of bed with enthusiasm. (Or not!)
It’s also hard to get started when you have a seemingly overwhelming pile or list of things to do, such as a stack of bills, letters or emails that you have to deal with. Here’s a tip: "trick" yourself by deciding that you will only deal with, say, 10 of them and then give yourself a reward. For example, you’ll just answer 10 emails and then treat yourself to a short European vacation! Hmmmmm, maybe that would be a little extreme… how ‘bout a short walk in the sunshine or listening to your favorite CD track? Here’s what will happen: you’ll do that first 10 and say to yourself, “That wasn’t so bad, I’ll just do another 10 and then have my treat.” Before you know it, the task will be done and you’ll really enjoy that treat that you’ve earned.
Even with this technique, you’ll look at the list of things to do and wonder where to start. Which of the items on my list should I begin with?
The answer may surprise you. Here it is: it doesn’t matter. That’s right! It doesn’t matter where you start. JUST START!!
Just write something down or type something in. It doesn’t matter, JUST DO IT! There is a fundamental principle of the universe that is at work here; it’s much easier to change SOMEthing than to start with a “blank sheet of paper."
You know that no matter what you start with, it’s probably going to change before the project is finished. And just about everything you do at first will give you new ideas about some aspect of what you’re doing. Therefore it doesn’t really matter where you start because the first thing you do will probably change and be rearranged anyway.
So start…NOW! You’ll feel so much better…
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