Begin anywhere.

Often times, it seems like pushing the start button on a new journey or undertaking is the hardest part. We, as humans, tend to get overwhelmed at just the thought of starting something new. Especially if it is outside of our comfort zone.

Have you ever had a great idea that you thought could help a lot of people, make you a lot of money, save you a lot of time, etc.? Maybe you Googled it and watched a how-to video. Maybe you excitedly told your partner all about it or wrote about it in your journal. And then what? It seemed like too much work, you didn't have enough money to buy all the supplies you'd need right away, you got discouraged because don't have experience...

If you relate to this, well, me too. I've long struggled with bringing my creative ideas to fruition. Not because they weren't good ideas. Not because I tried them and they didn't work out. Not because someone told me I couldn't. But, because I just never started. I would get so worked up with thoughts like: what if I start in the wrong place, what if I mess it up, what if it doesn't work, what if no one is interested. At some point I just decided not to do it.

Fear has tricked us into thinking we need to know exactly what we're doing to do something. But, pushing start is not the hardest part, it should be the easiest part. Start where you are. Start with what you have. Start with what you already know. Start with shaky hands. Start with no idea how it will end up. Start without expectations of perfection. Start even though you may fail. Start now. Just start.

If you wait for the moment where everything aligns and it feels like the perfect time, you will never start.

I tend to get down on myself about the things that I haven't done yet in my life and in speaking to close friends, I realize that I am not alone in feeling that way. In the digital age, we focus so heavily on the things we see others doing and end up feeling ashamed for not doing more ourselves. Issues with self-esteem, confidence, and not feeling good enough stop us from reaching our full potential. We see others living experiences, reaching goals, or finding success that we want and we think that they were born with some special ingredient that we weren't. They have better ideas than me, they have discipline I don't have, they're a better artist than me, they have startup money I don't have. We can't see the path ahead of us so we're afraid to step forward. The truth is, they're not any more or less special than the next person. Most likely, they were just as afraid when they started but they started anyway.

You don't have to have a perfect plan, you don't even have to know what you're doing. If your brain is all over the place, start all over the place and figure it out as you go.

Personally, I have dreams of being an artist, a writer, owning a business, starting a non-profit, traveling the world, and becoming wealthy while doing it (more on that in later stories, I promise). I also have no idea how to make that happen and I am afraid of failing and working a 9 - 5 in a position I hate until I am 65. My guess is you share similar fears.

The journey ahead is full of surprises. You will never be able to see the path ahead and you cannot let that stop you from moving forward anyway.