One Year From Now....

{via Making Things Happen}

When I came across this quote, it stopped me in my tracks. I read it again and again and thought of all the ways this was true for me. How many projects, ideas, changes, and improvements I had set aside, waiting for another time to start. Only to find myself here today, wishing I had all that time back. It’s a frustrating and disappointing feeling. Failure mixed with a little bit of guilt. After a few days of listing all the things I have not accomplished, I took to repeating this quote nearly every day. Every time I think that something is too big to take on, too impossible, too frightening, just too much....I try to remind myself that beginning is often the hardest part. Someday, whether it’s tomorrow or a year from now, I’ll be so much happier having at least made a start.

A few ways I get inspired to just begin,

•  Make a plan. Whether it’s a to-do list, a step-by-step process, or some sort of strategy sketched out on butcher paper, writing it all down can be just the start I need.
• Set a timer. This has been my go-to trick forever. Knowing there is a set amount of time to begin a task (like exercising, writing, brainstorming, etc.) can make the insurmountable become possible.
• Say it out loud. Kind of like shouting it from the roof tops. Sharing your plan or idea somehow makes it all the more official...and seems to keep me motivated to finish.

Hopefully these suggestions are helpful in starting your next big thing. And just think, a year from now, it all started with today.

How do you motivate yourself to just begin? 

{ps. this post first appeared last week on my good friend Kelly's blog - Calming The Spirit - take a peek at her inspirational posts!}