Table of Contents
Step 1: Surprise Yourself
So much of life in general is just getting started, and getting over that first hurdle. I have this annoying (by design) challenge when I meet a person who expresses their desire to accomplish something. I simply ask them to do/perform something that pertains to their desire: Immediately.
Of course this differs depending on the person and desire, but it’s quite effective in revealing a few things to them. One, if they are truly ready to take the leap towards what they want. Two, if they actually like or enjoy the thing they say they want; and three, it instills confidence in them, and dispels the fear of trying something. People often wonder what the secret sauce is to being successful, and sadly or amazingly, depending on how you look at it, it’s often simple actions. The initial one is to just start doing something. Find a first action and do it. If you enjoyed that action and result, then try another. You can swing big or softly, but the point is to SWING!
Now there are definitely tactics that will support motivation and consistency, but that’s not the initial point. That’s a later step. The first step is to tackle the base issue, which is always the fear of the unknown. People think it’s the fear of being terrible, but nope; it’s the fear of the unknown.
One action does not make nor
break your creation
Step 2: Build Momentum
Once you’ve proven to yourself that you are capable of doing something, everything after is literally incremental changes to becoming better and better: which is what solidifies you are good at something, and why it’s not the first step. Step 2 is essentially mastering what makes up your desire one piece at a time. Tackling any goal is simply creating a system that forms digestible pieces, but that’s a story for another post. Step 2 is a rather short step because it’s about practice, which transforms into momentum. Commit to taking an action everyday, three times a week, every month; whatever timeframe you decide so long as it’s consistent, and you build a routine around it. Remember step 2 is breeds commitment, muscle memory, and proving to yourself you complete what you say you’re going to do. The fear you’re facing here is “am I good enough to do this?” That question can only be answered by proving to yourself ‘YES‘ every time you complete step 1 in your decided routine. Belief grows within of you, and you no longer wonder if this desire is for you. Instead, you start to wonder what else you can do with this new gift/skill you have, and then the feeling of overwhelming creativity enters the chat. How exciting! So let’s recap the steps so far.
- Challenge yourself to try one action that’s in proximity to your desire.
- Practice making your actions better or closer to your ideal desire over a period of time.
Step 3: Share Your Work
Now onto number 3, let people care about your desire by talking about what you’re working on. This is a big fear for many people. It’s honestly the same size as the other fears, but that’s neither here nor there. This fear is about creation. Can you create something without the help of others? Do you need other people to solidify your creation, or are you a creator all on your own and others are just observers? These are questions you don’t know you’re asking or fearing because it’s often described as caring about what others think. As though your fear is purely emotion-based and not about how we attach a bit of ourselves to the things we create, so a view upon creation can’t help but be a view upon our very selves. This is a logical conclusion, but it is also an unreasonable one. It is part of what makes this step so complex. You must be able to connect with your desire while also separating yourself from it. That’s a weird idea. Also, huh?
Simply put, if you remain consistent in your action over time, you grow confident you are going to achieve your goal without really thinking about it (the biggest reason step 2 is so important), and then you solicit others to contribute to what you have created by talking about it. This is a crucial step because, as I always say, life is a team sport. When we create, we create for and with the world. You can always create singularly for yourself and no one else, but it will not grow without the help of others.
You aren’t able to steer the ship by yourself
forever and ever until the end of time.
Now back to conquering this complex step. Step 3 only works if you have mastered the first two. The first step helped you throw caution to the wind, and proved that one action is not the end all be all to getting your desire. Why does this help you in step 3? Tell me you don’t worry that someone will mess up your treasured desire before it’s fully formed? That’s one of the main reason people are reluctant to share their desires. However, that idea is built on a false premise. One action does not make nor break your creation.
Now how does step 2 help step 3? In step 2, you learned your small, consistent actions are what shape and perfect the creations of your desires. However… You are limited. There. I said it. You aren’t able to steer the ship by yourself forever and ever until the end of time. But was important for you to know what ways you want your creation to take shape before you started to hand-off parts for others to shape. You need a blueprint for your creation. That’s what step 2 helped you cultivate. You can now allow someone else to add to your creation with the knowledge of what shaping it looks like.
However, the ultimate point of step 3 is to learn to let go of control. So, while you hold the blueprint to the creation, working with others will help you learn to leave room for surprises and growth in ways you couldn’t even imagine because you didn’t have access to the combined energy of you and others. I often talk about experiencing things I didn’t realize I could want. It’s such a particular and wonderful feeling, but that’s a story for another time. Let’s recap!
- Challenge yourself to try one action that’s in proximity to your desire.
- Practice making your actions better or closer to your ideal desire over a period of time.
- Let people care about your desire by talking about what you’re working on.
Overview
That’s it for overcoming the fear of getting started. Those three action steps are your bread and butter. It will work EVERY SINGLE TIME because all you’re doing is hacking your brain. You’re teaching yourself to trust yourself and using proof positive to do it. Now you may be wondering what are some examples of step 1? I thought you’d never ask.
Challenge Examples
- Desire: I want to be a famous singer.
- Challenge: Go to a public place, start singing out loud, and really get into it.
- Why this works: You need to prove to yourself you can sing, and you like the attention you get from it.
- Key things to take away from the desire sentence: FAMOUS, SINGER. Those should be your focus.
- Desire: I want to own a business.
- Challenge: Sell something to a non-friend, non-friend adjacent, non-family member(s) for more than 25$ for 5 days.
- Why this works: You need to prove you know how to find things of value, you can find people who want to buy from you, and you can do it more than once.
- Key things to take away from the desire sentence: OWN, BUSINESS. You are the business. Business is the management of resources. Manage you, the valuables to sell, and your customers.
These are just a couple examples of simple challenges to get you started on proving to yourself you can get your desires in life.
Drop a comment below of your own challenge, and then come back and update us on how it went. Good luck, and we can’t wait to read your stories!
Tianne’ Miles
Chem 100 SU Section 6
29 February 2024
I can use this article to help me grow in many ways. One way in which I can use it is by using step one. There are many times when I feel discouraged about my future success, and I did take the leap to start working to get to my success as stated in step one. I also want to enjoy being a nurse and the simple actions I need to continue to get there are going to class and doing homework. The swing big or soft can help me to grow because if I do not succeed the first time, I will swing again harder. I also agree that fear is the unknown because you never know how far you can go unless you try. “One action does not make nor break your creation” is a great quote to help me stay motivated because I relate to it as one bad grade does not determine who you are as a person. Step two of this article is something I need to start. When I get back from the gym or do something I never thought I would finish, I will start building my momentum by being proud of myself and reminding myself I am good enough to do whatever it is I am doing. I can use step 3 of this article to help me grow because I am a person who tends to look at things as caring about what others think. However, this article is helping me to look at things from a different point of view. Life is a team sport because you really cannot create things without the help of others. I am in college, and I cannot teach myself everything to be successful as a nurse. I need teachers to teach me the way.
I can use the context of this article to help me grow because many times I’ve missed big opportunities because I’m scared to start something or because I’m too shy . This article has showed me that no matter what it is that you want to do you should go for it . Just because you didn’t know how to do something originally doesn’t mean that you can’t always learn , and once you do learn you’ll surprise yourself . which is the first step in getting started . I’ve always wanted to be a hairstylist but I always was too scared to start , due to not knowing how to do hair . But practice makes perfect and because of this article I’m going to do step 1 and surprise myself and start .
I can use the context of this article to help me grow because many times I’ve missed big opportunities because I’m scared to start something or because I’m too shy . This article has showed me that no matter what it is that you want to do you should go for it . Just because you didn’t know how to do something originally doesn’t mean that you can’t always learn , and once you do learn you’ll surprise yourself . which is the first step in getting started . I’ve always wanted to be a hairstylist but I always was too scared to start , due to not knowing how to do hair . But practice makes perfect and because of this article I’m going to do step 1 and surprise myself and start . B. Holmes – chem 100 su section 6
Chem 100 SU Section 6
I try to be very intentional about my school work and ensuring I represent myself well. The content in this article is inspiring and motivational. It will definitely influence my success inside and outside of the classroom. Sometimes, the most difficult task is getting started, which the author highlights in Step 1. They write that instead of worrying about everything happening all together at once, you should focus on one topic, take action to accomplish it, and then find another topic, and repeat the process. I can use this specifically when I’m studying chemistry material. I can tackle one area I’m struggling in, then find another, and keep going because they all build off of each other. This mindset will help me grow by encouraging me to begin with small tasks and work my way up to a bigger task to not overwhelm myself with my workload.
The next step the article offers is to “Build Momentum.” They suggest to get started in Step 1 and to keep going in Step 2. Building momentum is essentially constantly practicing something or completing different tasks, which will help me become better at it. Every time I complete Step 1, I can build a routine around it to master Step 2. I can apply this to academics by completing small assignments first, like this one, and once I have shown myself “I can actually do it,” then I can continue onto a bigger assignment, like an individual or group project or tests, to showcase my skills. Building momentum will help me grow in my academics and personal life by instilling in me that once I have done something small, I have already proven my capability to accomplish something bigger. It shows me that I already have all the skills necessary to complete anything, and I just need to take the action to do it to fulfill my desires.
The final step, which is arguably the most difficult, is to “Share Your Work” with peers. My fear comes from being judged by my peers, fearing that my work is not good enough, or that I completely missed the actual goal of the assignment. Aside from that, the reason this step is so important is because we all need help and guidance from each other. Like the article says, “…Life is a team sport.” Knowing that I can benefit from my peers’ work is enough reason to lose the fear and accept their help. While it is very intimidating, I know that when I share my results and findings, I can actually help my peers come to their conclusions. Sharing work helps other people see where they might have missed a topic, not discussed one thing enough, and discover areas where they are not completely knowledgeable. I know that I should put this fear aside because no one can get very far in life without the help of other people.
Throughout the article, the main takeaways are to take small steps, maintain consistency, and share results. Being consistent is the only way for me to see changes in my work. When I keep the same, healthy mindset, I will see positive changes in my attitude when it comes to my growth. When I continue working at something, I know that I will become confident in my abilities to excel at it. Practice is the only way to become better at anything. Along with practice is asking for help and sharing findings to continue creating successful work. When I use successful methods, I know my work will share the same qualities. This article is very impactful for the way I will take charge of my growth and expect positive outcomes from myself. It has also assured me that there is nothing I can’t do that I am not ready for. I will always have to prepare, practice, and work hard, but I am always ready for anything that I am up against. While I discussed how I can use these steps in my academic goals, I can also take advantage of them in my personal life to reach those goals as well. I can use them get closer and closer to my desires and ultimately become successful.
A. Ingram
Chem 100 SU Section 7
The article was really an eye opener for me. I never looked at it in the perspective that THMI Team gave. I can apply and use this content in my life to help me grow because when I set a goal for myself I often care about what other people think. The article stated that you should not worry about what other people think; it’s all about your desire. Eventually if you get the whole blueprint done and my goal off the ground then I can share with people because I will no longer care about anyone else’s opinion. This article also opened my eyes about a different way to write my blueprint so that will also help me a lot.
This article is expressed so strongly. It gives readers an inspiring message. Reading the beginning instantly made me think back to when I was afraid to do a handstand but built the courage to try and every time I tried I kept getting better and better. Me trying is what the wither was referring to as “swinging”. Reading this article has inspired me ever more to keep swinging and aiming for what I want to be in life . Now every time I am afraid to try something new I will always read back on this article and remember that not trying only hurts me worse . Throughout the rest of my life i’ll have this arrival to teach me that building the courage to do something new and not doubting myself can take me to a lot of places I would never have imagined. I will always remember to challenge myself and try, try again to prove to myself that i can complete whatever I put my mind to. With this article I will try to get into nursing school even though it will be rough as long as i keep swinging i know i can do it. I’ll practice anything pertaining to nursing until i get the hang of it. Then I would take my new skills and show myself that I can do it and show others too.
This article directly explains what I am trying to do in my life revolving around media/content creation. I have a lot of goals but not necessarily the layout of how I would achieve them. After reading this article, I know I must take practical steps. For example, I have an Instagram page called “Fruits of The Spirit Podcast” where my main goal of the page is to lead people in a way to seek God for themselves and utilize my page as a way to get there. So a practical step I can take is to post 2-3 times a week to grow the page. Another practical step I can continue to take after reading the article is to read the Bible myself. By doing this, I will be able to effectively teach the word by knowing it myself. This article was a tool I can use to have the determination to achieve it.
I was once faced with the challenge of not knowing what I wanted to do with life. This was doing my senior year of high school. I did not know if I wanted to go to college or go in the working field. I was afraid of starting my career path. However, I overcame this challenge by planning out how I wanted to live for the rest of my life as well as what career I wanted for the rest of my life. Once carefully thought about that, I overcame that challenge. First, I surprised myself! I I tried something new and overcame the fear of the unknown. I went to a university and worked full- time in order to decide which path I enjoyed the most. Then, I build momentum. I did this by constantly going to school and work. This also helped me change my outlook on life. Lastly, I shared my work with others. I helped motivate others who didn’t know what career path they wanted. I told them to “try new things, and try to plan your future ahead of time, that way you will know what you want to do in life!
S Trask
Chem 100 SU
Session 7
I understand that the main idea of this article is that fear is a natural emotion that we should learn to embrace. It’s important to recognize that everyone is at different stages in their life, I shouldn’t let fear hold me back from moving forward. You just have to realize when it’s your time to move because the very thing you are seeking is also seeking you. My parents always told me no one can go through life alone but I never fully understood how I have let that hinder me from accomplishing things in my life. For me, sharing my work or my life can be scary because it opens you up to the possibility of rejection, but it’s important to remember that everyone needs somebody, and asking for help is okay. The fear of hearing the word “no” has held me back from asking for help in the past, it has been my ball and chain, but I now understand that not starting is the only true failure in life. My decision I make today will affect my future tomorrow so, as long as I keep moving forward, I am growing and progressing. My takeaway from reading this article is simply three things:
1. The only failure in life is not starting
2. There are stages to growth so as long as you doing you are growing
3. Everybody needs somebody.
4. Use my fear to drive me into my destiny
Tailor Lawrence
Chem 100 SU Section 6
I relate to this article so much on different levels because I have been through so many challenges through life at such a young age in which pushes a fear on anything I do whether I am amazing at it or not . I have made myself walk out of so many rooms just because of fear or the anxiety that I won’t be able to accomplish what exactly I’m trying to do that I have missed offers and blessing because of my mental fears . The quote “one actions cannot make or break your creation” is very relatable and a powerful statement because even when I first thought about college I was scared to leave home ,family , friends and even bad habits but I took that leap and no matter where I am now whether I am failing or succeeding I have still accomplished one goal of
trying it out and being able to push past one fear of leaving home and being able to learn how to navigate and accomplish things on my own just by the way I talk to adults and in certain establishments. Where I’m from it’s hardly anyone who succeeds or want better for themselves and leave everything they knew or once thought was it all alone . At a young age I have seen more downfalls than up , I have seen people pick more of fast illegal money than actually getting jobs and going to school to better themselves than put themselves in a win lose situation, growing up I thought that’s all it was and that’s all I could be until I realized that’s not the life I want . This article can help me grow on so many different levels especially by letting go , once I learn to let go and just allow things to flow and I will move forward with anything and everything I want in life . Only thing in this article I can disagree on is to not allow people into what exactly you are working on or trying to get to , spiritually I’ve learned there are a such thing of monitoring spirits and people that pray on your downfall God has and is still working on me with closing my mouth and just do as he says and stop talking about everything he has put in place for me , not everyone around you are rooting even if it look
S. Randall Chem 100 SU Section 6
I agree with step 1, having a goal & saying you want to meet it is one thing, but putting forth effort to get to the finish line is where you see progress, and growth within yourself, never be scared to get out there because close mouths don’t get fed!! Step 2 talks about once you get on the path you desire, you must be committed if you truly want your goal to be accomplished, disciplining yourself to act every day, consistently is key!! Step 3 is learning to share your work, teamwork makes the dreamwork, you don’t have to share all your work but getting advice won’t hurt. These 3 steps will get you through the process, it’s like hacking your brain to think more in-depth on what you really want to accomplish.
K Bryant
Chem 100 SU Section 6
One of the challenges I would say I am currently facing is the fear of stepping out and starting my business. This article has inspired and personally pushed me by letting me know I am making the correct decision. I can say I was doing some of these steps before even reading this article. I want to start doing hair for clients around campus. I previously did hair back home in Mississippi but did not bring my talents down to Louisiana. In the article, they talk about getting a friend or family to help start and that is exactly what I am doing and starting my first client off by doing my friend’s hair and stepping out and posting my work for a discounted price to build up a clientele. This article feels like a sign that I am doing the right thing and has encouraged me to go forward and pursue doing hair.
Chem 100 SU Section 6
One of the challenges I have right now is to get myself out there on social media and grow a larger amount of followers. I challenge myself to post more consistently and to be creative with it. If I be consistent and engage more with my audience then I’ll reach the goal I’m going for!
After reading this article I learned some key things about reaching my goals. I will use these steps to continue pursuing the gym, I will make sure I get up and go work out immediately after waking up and doing this consistently so I will see the results I want. I will share my gym experience with my friends and others so they feel motivated to get up and go work out or get up and reach their own goals.
Chem 100 SU section 6
K Davis
After reading this article I learned some key things about reaching my goals. I will use these steps to continue pursuing the gym, I will make sure I get up and go work out immediately after waking up and doing this consistently so I will see the results I want. I will share my gym experience with my friends and others so they feel motivated to get up and go work out or get up and reach their own goals.
The content of the article will help me grow by achieving a desire to start doing something that helps me to do something that I want differently in my life. It’ll also help me as a person who enjoys the desired outcome, and has confidence in trying something new. Mastering the desire one piece at a time, committing to taking actions daily, three times a week, or every month, as long as they are consistent and build a routine around it. I’m the type of person to plan things in my life and stick to them. This breeds commitment and proves my ability to complete what I’m working on one step at a time. My fear of what people think about my work is what leads me to overthink about a lot of things. I’m always in my head if I’m doing something wrong. I’m not much of a confident person. My goal now as a person that wants to change is to grow as a person. To step out of that mind set about what I’m doing wrong. I need to stop criticizing myself and do what’s right for me. remaining consistent in my action over time, I can grow confident in achieving my goal without thinking about it.
OGaines-Chem 100 SU Section 6
The content of the article will help me grow by achieving a desire to start doing something that helps me to do something that I want differently in my life. It’ll also help me as a person who enjoys the desired outcome, and has confidence in trying something new. Mastering the desire one piece at a time, committing to taking actions daily, three times a week, or every month, as long as they are consistent and build a routine around it. I’m the type of person to plan things in my life and stick to them. This breeds commitment and proves my ability to complete what I’m working on one step at a time. My fear of what people think about my work is what leads me to overthink about a lot of things. I’m always in my head if I’m doing something wrong. I’m not much of a confident person. My goal now as a person that wants to change is to grow as a person. To step out of that mind set about what I’m doing wrong. I need to stop criticizing myself and do what’s right for me. remaining consistent in my action over time, I can grow confident in achieving my goal without thinking about it.
OGaines-Chem 100 SU Section 6