“People don’t wait for all the lights to turn green before making the trip to California,” my dad said. He meant you can’t wait for the elusive, harmonic convergence of perfect timing to start any project. You get a few things lined up, gather your materials, but you must begin!
You may have heard someone say, “I can’t do this one thing this late in my life.”
This one thing could be a career change, moving to another city, training for a marathon, or beginning a habit of healthy eating & exercise. Why not? What’s really stopping you?
A friend of mine wanted to write a book. Once in a while, I’d hold his feet to the fire. Sometimes he’d say he hadn’t written, or he’d jotted a line or two or got himself a new pen. Then, he wanted to read another book about writing before he was ready to start. But when it came down to really writing, he never seemed to make the time.
He was a few years younger than me and as much as I was able, I encouraged him. One day he said he’d finally started. He’d written a whole chapter and he was going to send it to me. Finally, he was getting to his dream. I couldn’t wait to read that chapter. Then, barely into midlife, he suddenly died. Whatever he wanted to say is lost forever.
You’ve probably heard someone say, “I can’t do this one thing because it’s going to take XX years.”
Maybe you’ve thought or said to yourself that you don’t have time to start this one thing right now. There will always be reasons for delaying. But the best time to start is always now. If it’s a true desire, you must overcome inaction and find a way to squeak it in, even if it’s only fifteen minutes a week.
Why let the length of a project stop you? That time is going to pass whether you do the one thing or not. If it takes six years, to write a book, at the end of that time you have a book. If you don’t write it, at the end of six years what do you have? An unfulfilled wish.
Oddly enough, my dad wanted to write a book too. He told me he’d started. After he passed away, I found his writing and wondered why he didn’t finish. Had he lost the passion? Did he run out of ideas? Or did he doubt himself?
I considered all the ways I automatically disqualified myself and wondered what life would look like if I said Yes instead of No. What could I accomplish if I persisted, even if it takes the rest of my life? Not long after that, I started my first epic novel. It took me five years but I finished. It freed me to think about projects in different terms. Now, instead of thinking, “I can’t” my thought is, “How can I accomplish this one thing?”
What does this mean for you?
The difference between a dream and a reality is action. When you think of your dream, consider all the ways that you can put legs to it. One of them is bound to work. Writing a book in a day is pretty hard to accomplish, but over time, nearly anything can be done. When you think of the one thing you want to do in your life, consider how many ways you can make it happen so that if one fails, you have another way to go at it. Have contingency plans so that when you hit a wall or feel discouraged, you can dust yourself off and try again. You can start anything you want today. Completing will take sacrifice and perseverance.
But you can do it. You have it in you. If you were ever able to get up and go to school or to a job (especially one you didn’t like) you can do the one thing that you want to do and feel passionate about. You were made for great things, and all you have to do is start one of them.
The seeds of success are in you. The medium it takes to grow them is today. Your passion will water the plant of your desire. Just take the first step, believe it. Make it happen. Please let me hear from you if you’re on a track to accomplish something so I can cheer you on to greatness! Start today.
I needed this too! Thanks!
You are so welcome! Thanks for reading and sharing.
Thanks, Brenda! I appreciate you stopping by and your comments.
Needed to hear that today and also pass it along to a friend. Thank you!