Getting Started is the Hardest Part

Change is hard. Quitting smoking, losing weight, or working out require shifts in our behaviors. Making those changes is not easy because we are creatures of habit. Neuro pathways have been created from years of the same patterns. Those pathways need to be changed, but it's hard. Imagine a groove worn deep from a wheel barrel after years of the exact same path. It's easy to push the wheel barrel in the same way, but it's hard to get it out of the gutter to change direction because the rut dug by the repetition is deep.

Don't Wait to Start

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the next best time was today. Don't wait to start making a change. Committing yourself is the first step. All you have to do is decide to change. Maybe reading this is the first step in making the shift to a happier, healthier life.

Public Declaration

Once you have decided that today is the day, tell someone. Tell many people. By stating our goals, it does a couple of things. First, you have made a public declaration of your intention. In doing so, it increased the probability of actually doing the work. Sharing the intention with others also elevates your sense of accountability. Last year I wanted to try standup comedy; it terrified me. So the first thing I did was a post on social media when and where my first set would be. Putting it out in the universe meant I would follow through.
View my humble attempt at standup

Start with something small.

Set yourself up to succeed. If you set unrealistic aggressive goals or want to take on too much at once, it is tough to accomplish them. Making small shifts to start will give you a feeling of success. Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

Build momentum

Small things add up to significant accomplishments. Start with making your bed every morning for the next couple of weeks. It's a small task that begins your day with a win. Once that is part of your routine, add the next change, maybe it's doing meditation every morning or going for a run. Practice these new habits for at least 21 days before adding new elements to your routine. By building our positive habits incrementally, we increase the probability of maintaining them.

"You only pass this way once, we must give it all we've got." - John Lewis

A trip of a thousand miles starts with the first step. Life will pass you by if you sit on the sideline. Yesterday a civil rights icon was laid to rest. President Obama gave the eulogy and quoted the late John Lewis whose words resonated with me