Just Start

The formation of this newsletter came from the theme of today’s topic. Just start. Simply starting something removes many of the barriers we construe in our minds prior, which inevitably lead to our inaction. There are so many mental blockers we handcuff ourselves to when we spend time thinking of all the reasons why we cannot do something. Many of these blockers come when we begin “planning.” I love planning things out. I love knowing exactly when I need to leave to arrive on time. I like knowing what my days and weeks will look like so I can plan accordingly. It is in my nature to act according to what is “planned.” At the same time, I have begun to recognize the importance of not getting stuck in the “planning” phase. The more you plan, the more inclined you are to say, “Well the weather is too hot for me to run, I will start tomorrow.” Then tomorrow comes and you have another excuse. For me, writing was one of the things I had “planned” to do. I said I would write multiple articles a month but every day would pass and the task of writing would not cross my mind.

This is where just starting comes into play. On January 1st, I “just started.” I created this newsletter and have stuck with it for 12 days. I did not, and still do not, have all of the details planned on how I will operate this for the rest of the year. “Tristan’s Type” is largely a placeholder name. I do not have topics planned out ahead of time and find myself wondering what a topic on August 18th will look like. These are issues I need to solve, but they are not issues that kept me from acting. By taking the first step of publishing on January 1st I made this body of work something that was no longer an idea, it became a tangible product.

As mentioned above, I plan frequently in my life. I am not a supporter of being rash or reckless in your actions. I do not condone signing up for next month’s Iron Man if you have never swam more than 100 meters in the pool. What I do condone is getting off of the sidelines for ideas, activities, events, and more that you have been “planning” out for long periods of time. I have found that by acting first, the rest of the situational question marks I had prior to beginning are much easier to solve after taking the steps to begin. All of the details do not need to be ironed out before starting. It is okay not to have all of the answers ahead of time. The answers, and new questions, will come once you begin.

What in your life have you been “waiting for the right time” to begin? What in your life are you “waiting until next month” to start? What in your life are you meticulously planning every detail before taking the first step?

What in your life do you need to just start?