Photo by Braden Collum

A great idea has just captivated your thoughts. Your heart fills with excitement as this bright picture of the future starts to manifest in your imagination. Then within minutes, thoughts of doubt start fill your mind. How do I do....? I can't do.....what happens if.......and as quickly as it came, it's gone. Pushed aside with past ideas you didn't even start.

What if you wanted to take that first step? Where would you even start? There are some things to be aware of before starting any worthwhile endeavour. Things that often arent spoken about.

Accept you're going to fail

People don't speak about this much because its not glamorous but failure is part of the journey. If you're willing to accept this from the beginning and learn from every mistake then you're on a path to success.

That first phone call you make to a potential client. Guess what? It's not going to go well. That first day at the gym. Guess what? You're going to have no idea how to use those weird machines. First time you pick up a guitar. Guess what? You're going to make a horrible noise.

However, if you come back the next day and try again. Guess what? you're going to be a little better at it. If you repeat over and over again. Guess what? You're going to become good at it. Do this for a for years. Guess what? You become a master at it.

It's going to take time

If you've ever read the history of a great company, an autobiography or a biography about someone who has done extraordinary things you will notice a common denominator in the story; time.

I have been guilty of this many times in my own journey and I can tell you stories of multiple aspirations I threw away because it was 'taking too long'. I think of it like sailing. Imagine hiring or buying a boat. Packing and preparing for weeks beforehand. Departing the dock then turning around before leaving the harbour because it was 'taking too long.'

Accept from the start that whatever you're going to do will take time. Depending on what you've set out to do, this may take up to ten or even twenty years. Yes, years! The true value is in the journey it's self. This is where you learn, grow and develop relationships. Embrace the journey.

It's going to be hard

There are going to be ups and there are going to be downs but most likely more downs than ups, at least in the initial phase of your endeavour. You need to know this from the start so that when it does go down and it does get hard, don't feel like you're doing anything wrong. It's part of the process.

Get up, figure out what's causing it, make a plan and move forward. Amazing things happen when you do. It's almost like magic. You make new relationships, new opportunities present themselves and you gain a new strength for the next phase of the journey.

In conclusion

Don't spend your time in the harbour. Plan your journey as best you can and head out into the open waters. There will be storms, there will be days of no wind but beyond all that lies a new world just waiting to be discovered.

Sincerely @builtinfire