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It’s hard to get started.
That could mean a lot of different things,
so let me talk about a few of them.
For one thing, getting started in the
morning can be pretty difficult for a lot of folks: just getting to that
first cup of coffee can be the biggest challenge of the day! Try this: at
the end of today, try to save something for tomorrow that you are really
looking forward to doing. Then, when your eyes open and that dreadful
feeling of "I don’t wanna get up!" starts to flood over you,
you might remember the fun thing you saved for yourself and jump out of
bed with enthusiasm. (Or not!)
It’s also hard to get started when you
have a seemingly overwhelming pile or list of things to do, such as a
stack of bills, letters, or emails that you have to deal with. Here’s a
tip: ‘trick’ yourself by deciding that you will only deal with, say,
10 of them and then give yourself a reward. For example, you’ll just
answer 10 emails and then treat yourself to a short European vacation!
Hmmmmm, maybe that would be a little extreme… how ‘bout a short walk
in the sunshine or listening to your favorite CD track? Here’s what will
happen: you’ll do that first 10 and you’ll say to yourself, "That
wasn’t so bad, I’ll just do another 10 and then have my treat."
Before you know it, the task will be done and you’ll really enjoy that
treat that you’ve earned.
When I started this article, though, I was
thinking more about starting a new project. That might mean a new product
or service, a new advertising campaign, a new marketing strategy, or
buying a new computer. Whatever the project is, it involves a number of
steps and taking that first one is tough.
For example, you’ve decided that you
need to revamp your marketing strategy. There are so many things to
decide! Who should you target? What’s the best way to reach them? What
is the message that you want to send? How will you test it? How much
should you spend? How are you going to document the plan you come up with?
What will it look like? What should it include?
Where should you start? Which of those
questions should you answer first?
The answer may surprise you. Here it is:
it doesn’t matter.
That’s right! It doesn’t matter where
you start. JUST START!!
Just write something down or type
something in. It doesn’t matter, JUST DO IT! There is a fundamental
principle of the universe that is at work here and that is this: it’s
much easier to change SOMEthing than to start with a "blank sheet of
paper".
You know that no matter what you start
with it’s probably going to change before the project is finished. And
just about everything you do at first will give you new ideas about some
aspect of what you’re doing. Therefore it doesn’t really matter where
you start because the first thing you do will probably change and be
rearranged anyway.
So start… NOW!
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