A Good Start

A Good Start*

It is said that every Successful journey starts with a first step. The 'Not so successful' or the 'Unsuccessful' begins with that first step too.  We tend to spend a lot of time on planning, reflecting before actually starting our journeys, projects etc. So this mantra may seem meaningless to some. 'Just start' or 'Just do it'  may seem meaningless. But is it really without any effectiveness?

Let us begin by Listing some of the benefits and perceived difficulties of taking the first step.

Creating Dreams

I think the most obvious benefit in taking that first step is that it helps us actually put our plans or dreams into action. We get to it at last after a lot of delays and waiting by seeing things moving. It would be unreal to think that there would be an instant success, it is said that many of the most successful people have had a good share of failing before actually tasting success. So just a couple of inconveniences should not put one off.

Initial persistence does pay off. Let's say you are going on a diet plan, cheating a couple of times should not discourage you, of course, you have screwed up. But giving up the entire project would not make sense.

Finding Gaps

 Now Let's say we have started our journey, we have taken that first step. After moving for a while one might see difficulties. This could be some unexpected turns and twists, some irritation. The focus I think must be on doing a bit of mental jujitsu. It is important to see that these are not just difficulties, but opportunities. They could be gaps in our planning or maybe we have not factored certain things before starting out

Five years back, I had decided to the gym and get healthy. I was too thin after dieting for about a year. I just could n't exercise. I failed a couple of times and then decided to get a trainer. Though initially, I thought it was unnecessary. A trainer really helped me get healthier and in good shape.  I realized that expertise and good mentorship does matter. Finding this gap helped me greatly.  Let's go to the next insight.

Being Aplomb

Another difficulty while starting out could be being overly positive or extremely negative. I think it is important to be realistic. Sometimes I think it is important to understand that the glass is not just half empty or half full, but also that there is a glass with water in it. Seeing opportunities is good, but not getting a grip on reality won't be helpful, it could even kill the whole project or assignment you are undertaking.

Failing to Plan

Failure to plan is planning to fail. Success or failure is not the only possible outcomes, Learning is one of the outcomes too. But not taking the first step is a sure failure. So i would like to end this post with a quote from Winston Churchill.

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”― Winston S. Churchill [*1]

Thank you for reading this post, I tried to share what I think helped me personally. In the next post, I will be exploring Strategies on Failing Effectively.

*Photo by Porapak Apichodilok from Pexels
*1 Source:www.goodreads.com