Why You Should Only Think About The Beginning
June 20, 2013
Sometimes the best advice you give others is the hardest to follow yourself.
Yesterday when my friend was about to go on a date, she texted me telling me how nervous she was. I knew she was putting an immense amount of pressure on this date because she really liked the guy and wanted it to work out in the end.
In the end.
The problem with this line of thinking is that we can’t control the end.
We can only control the beginning.
So I told her, “Look Sarah, stop thinking about the end. Don’t worry about the end. Just think about the beginning. Envision yourself walking up to his door and that’s it. The rest will fall into place.”
How did the date wind up in the end? Fantastic.
She was only thinking about the beginning.
On my way to Toronto a few weeks ago there was a massive storm. The sky turned gray, the clouds hung low, and the wind kicked up to an ominous degree. Debris filled the air. It felt like something dangerous was on the horizon.
And then just like that, before the rain even fell, the sky cleared and the sun returned.
Worry, doubt, and pressure are like ominous clouds that descend out of nowhere. They fog your thoughts, hover over your dreams, and paralyze you with fear.
When you combat the cloud with your light, it lifts, and the road begins to look much clearer and brighter.
I’m writing this for you, in the case that it may help you today, but I’m just as much writing this for me.
You’re not in this canoe alone. (I like the imagery of canoes. Just go with it.)
As you may know, I was supposed to start vlogging. I excitedly
told you I was going to start vlogging. And I swear I’ve had every intention to start vlogging.
I’ve shot about 150 videos that I’ve since viewed and erased. Being so worried and doubtful of the end result, (How will I sound? Will my hair look bad? Will I come across as unnatural? Will I suck at editing?) I wind up screwing up the beginning every single time.
If you were to watch these videos, you would quickly discern that I’m not in the moment—that there’s an ominous cloud of doubt descending upon me.
Today I’m going to bake a cake.
When I bake, I don’t worry about the end result. Truthfully, the end result barely crosses my mind. All I’m concerned with is that I have the necessary ingredients to begin the baking. Once I know I can begin, the rest just falls into place. If I screw up the baking time or something goes awry in the baking process, I know that I’ll figure it out and fix it along the way.
Focusing on the beginning always works in the end.
So today I’m going to vlog as I bake.
By starting at the beginning.
Get in this canoe and try it with me today.
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