In college one of my majors was Entrepreneurial Studies, and “The Art of the Start” was a book that was on our required reading list. If I am being completely honest, I never actually read the whole book… my dad did and he loved it. 😉 Regardless of not reading it in its entirety, the title always stuck with me. The Art of the Start.

So often before we try something new or jump into a big project we hesitate and procrastinate the inevitable beginning. We create excuses on why we aren’t “ready yet”

Personally, that procrastination has always stemmed from 2 things, 1, simply being lazy and not wanting to OR 2. That I’m afraid. Afraid of failure, afraid of not being good enough, afraid of what will happen if it is a success…

With either situation, I have always found that once I just begin, that laziness will fade away with a new routine and the growing excitement that comes with the new goal. Then the fear will fade too. The monster of anxiety and fear that I created, doesn’t really exist and isn’t that bad after all.

Every time I have been away from my workout routine, blogging, or cold-calling for my job, I am afraid of what it will be like coming back to it. I put it off like the plague when in reality I am just afraid to face what was put off for so long. How will I feel during the planks? Will my writing suck? Did I lose my touch? These are the questions that are haunting the back of my mind, holding me back from stepping out and just giving it a go.

How often has this happened to you? How often have you not just gotten on the dating app, or gone to the gym, asked someone out, done the scary thing because of the “what if?”

It’s one of the hardest things to overcome, yet one of the most crucial, and the Art of the Start can help us overcome it.

What it means is to just begin. Begin today, begin unprepared, begin scared, because there is no perfect time to start. You will never be “ready”, things will always come up, there will always be an excuse.

Once you begin, you will see that the magic starts to unfold. It gets a little less scary, it gets a little easier to navigate, and you become more comfortable with being uncomfortable. Then whatever is on the other side of that what if, or the end to your beginning will be one step closer.

They say the hardest part is the beginning because it is. Overcoming the fear of the first step is the art of the start.