On this road to reawakening our dreams, sometimes the road, at first, seems difficult to spot.
When I get excited about something, I generally want to go all-out. I don’t see why I would simply go halfway when I see the end goal so clearly.
This is why: it’s overwhelming to start a journey in the middle or at the end. It’s easier to feel defeated by all the things we don’t know, or how far behind we are, if we don’t start at the beginning.
That seems like common sense, but even this week, I found myself frustrated that I only managed to do yoga just twice instead of every day like I had planned. That’s so silly! The only time I’ve ever worked out six days a week was during Lent earlier this year. By Easter, I felt awesome. That 4:45 am wake up felt like nothing, and I saw how much stronger my arms and shoulders were—but it took 40 days to get there. You better believe, as soon as Easter came, that routine stopped.
What made Lent so successful? First, it was a limited amount of time, so when my resolve weakened, I knew, “Just one more week…” Second, it was a form of prayer. Every morning, my early wake-up and work-out was offered for a different person and their needs. Third, I started at the beginning.
Why should this time be any different?
There is a difference, though. This time, I want to make a life-long change, not just a 40-day change. This time, the beginning starts with a plan, and it starts small.
Instead of starting in the middle, with daily yoga routines of 30-40 minutes, and never eating candy again, I’m going to start at the beginning: for me, that means a short, 10-15 minute set of core strengthening exercises each day and taking the time to find some healthy recipes I can get excited about.
Where is your beginning? What is your first step? If you want to write, don’t start with a novel. You’ll never finish. Instead, buy a journal, and set aside 15-30 minutes a few times each week just to write anything that comes to mind—a poem, a story, a letter—no matter how good or bad you think it is.
If you want to own a craft business, don’t quit your job and buy all the supplies your local craft store has in stock. Find a couple crafty projects to do each month, one at a time. Perfect your technique, learn some new ones, and find what your specialty is.
If you want to run a half marathon, don’t start running five miles a day. You’ll hurt yourself and never want to run again. Start with going for a walk twice a week.
Start with me at the beginning, my friends, because once we start, even in the tiniest way, and keep moving forward, we’ll be unstoppable.
(And seriously, if you have any fun, yummy, healthy recipes, please share them with me!)
