“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
I do a lot of writing. Some appears in these blog posts, some in my journal, some in word documents on my laptop, some in the notes on my iPhone and some still untapped in my head!
I’d come to the end of one journal on Friday, it’s a deeply satisfying feeling having every single page filled with writing. What was also exciting was the anticipation of starting a new journal – the feel of it, the look of it, the expansive emptiness of it. I sat in bed on Sunday morning, picked up my pencil to begin my morning writing and froze…….I’d been writing in my old journal for maybe six months, it had become my friend, my confidante, I had become so very comfortable writing in it. A new book full of blank pages unnerved me, judged me even in a strange way. I suddenly longed for the comfort of my old book with bent spine and used pages. The feeling passed as I put pencil to paper and began writing. I took that first step.
Funny isn’t it that it is so very often the first step that is the toughest to take.
How often do we over-think situations or issues or plans for our life? Over-thinking to such a degree that we actually end up stalling. Our over-thinking becomes another form of procrastination. As I began writing in my brand new journal these questions came to me.
Where in my life am I stalling?………………“I think you know the answer to that one” came the reply.
What issues am I over-thinking?…………….“Uh, you mean you don’t know?” was the loud reply!
What would be my first step?……………..“Well, I’ve got a couple of suggestions……….”
Why am I avoiding taking the first small step?……….“I’ll put money on it that it’s got something to do with being a bit scared”
How many of us never get as far as taking the first step because we are afraid?
How many decisions do we back away from because we don’t want to take the first step or perhaps we don’t know how to take the first step?
- How are we avoiding telling someone we love them?
- How are we backing away from telling someone we care for that we’re struggling with their behaviour?
- How and where are we playing small in our lives?
- How do we teach someone we love to stand up to ‘authority’?
How often do we shy away from making changes or taking decisions because of fear?
- fear of rejection
- fear of failure
- fear of being hurt
- fear of loneliness
- fear of the unknown
All of the above have related to me and I bet many of them relate to you too. The great Eleanor Roosevelt said “You must do the things you think you cannot do.”
The old Chinese proverb which has been reproduced so many times on cards and posters and mugs states that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. How many of us are focused on the thousand miles rather than the single step? I am at times, I know that.
What will be the one small step that you can take today and how will you take it?
Email me at rebecca@bestknickersalways.com, perhaps I can help you in taking that first step.
photo credit: Imhoff-Ehmen
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