So Where Do I start? Part 2

In the first part of this message yesterday I was talking about past experiences, both mine and others, in trying to break free of the inertia.  Taking the first steps of really doing something is scary, and stepping back into the safety of more planning or waiting on the timing to improve makes you feel a little better in the short term.  The problem is the long term.  When we keep backtracking or procrastinating we are not moving closer to our goal whatever it is.  The problem is all of a sudden another year has gone by and we have not moved closer to doing what it is that we feel the need to do.  This can be anything from  starting a new blog, writing a book, launching a new business or selling your art work.  When you are called to do something, when you feel that intense need to express yourself in whatever manner that is, procrastinating feels very painful in the long term.
So what do you do?
These are a few very simple ideas I have used and some of my associates have used to move ahead:

1- Do something everyday.  This seems simple enough and it is, but that's what makes it work.  Write one page everyday, design one part of your website, write a paragraph in a blog, just commit to doing something everyday that moves you closer.  These small steps have a way of adding up over time. 

2- Find one person somewhere who will support your passion.  I do not mean financially or even in a practical sense, but in a philosophical sense if you like.  One person who will not let you off the hook for your passion and goals.  When I was starting a venture I was fortunate to have a good friend who I could count on.  When we would get together for lunch or coffee, we would get past the catching up on family and other bits of information, but his first serious question to me was always the same; "Where are you on your project?"  He would not give me a free pass because he knew how important it was to me.  Find that person.

3- Go ahead and be not so great at first.  Sometime we feel we have only one chance to do something and if we screw it up or don't put out a perfect product or the greatest piece of writing on our first shot, well that is it, it's over!  In most cases this is far from true.  Sure if you are skydiving and your chute does not open the first time that is pretty final most of the time, however in cases of writing or art or a business that allows you to express your passion you get lots of chances to screw up, write poorly and burn the soup.  Just learn from it and move on, as long as you are still taking another step and another and another you are moving forward.

So go ahead and do something.  It will be a lot easier for you to live with yourself if you are moving ahead in small steps and making mistakes then it is to live with yourself when you are spending all your time making grandiose plans and perfecting every step.  Planning is important but doing is living!
Go, Now, Go!