Starting
The hardest part of writing this first post has been trying to figure out what to write about in “the first post” (Trust me, the irony of this is not lost on me….and yes I googled “how to write a first blog post 😆)
Starting is hard. Arguably it’s why many of us, myself included, overthink and resist it. And it makes sense. Newton may not have been talking about human motivation when he described the first law of motion, and yet its application is uncanny: an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion. In other words, starting means that we’re actively disrupting the status quo. We’re moving from rest to motion. Hard.
At the start of her workouts, Peloton instructor Jess Sims tells her viewers, “The hardest part is over. You showed up. Check Done.” And she’s right. By starting the workout, you’ve created the momentum needed to move from rest to motion. And once in motion, it’s easier to stay in motion. Thanks Newton 😉.
In many ways, this is what this initial post represents for me: starting. As I sit here in a local coffee shop typing these words, I’m reminding myself that the hardest part is over. I showed up. Check done.
If you’re struggling with starting, you’re not alone. And if telling you this isn’t enough, maybe the 1.3 million results I found when I Googled for help with writing a first blog post will reassure you that many of us are looking for help with getting started.
When it comes to starting, here are some resources that I’ve found helpful. Maybe you will too:
💻 Start Small, Start Now (blog post by Seth Godin): It’s literally three lines, just read it 😜
💻 The Physics of Productivity (blog post by James Clear): In this blog post, James Clear, a leading thinker on habits, takes a deep dive into how Newton’s laws of motion apply to getting starting and building momentum.
📚 How to Begin (book by Michael Bungay Stanier): In this book, MBS provides a ton of helpful framework for beginning. The candor of his personal examples also make the book so human and approachable.
I also found that asking myself these four questions was really helpful in prompting me to start:
What’s the smallest step I can take to get started?
What can I do to lower the stakes and build momentum?
What can I do in the “starting phase” to have fun and explore?
How will I celebrate my early wins?
Happy starting!
