Often we stall out just thinking about what we need to do in order to grow. We can mull, consider, research, even talk about it with friends, but we hesitate and fudge and never get going. This is especially true for those of us who overthink, or feel like we never have enough information, or are afraid of doing something wrong. But the truth is, when it comes to growth, starting is more important than getting it right. Direction trumps perfection, every time.
Take exercise for example: we can often think we need to have the right shoes or know how the equipment works or have a program all laid out, when the reality is we just need to get out butts to the gym or feet on the road and GO. Early in any fitness or exercise program, just moving your body around and trying stuff will initiate growth, if for no other reason than the fact that you haven't been doing it before. And you will figure stuff out AS YOU GO. Rather than allowing fear or uncertainty or shame stop you, get out and get started.
This is why, contrary to much common thought and advice, having a vague notion of what you want rather than a SMART goal is all you really need. When I began my weight loss and fitness journey, I had no clearly defined goals, no measurable metrics, no sense of where I was going beyond that fact that I wanted to be "more fit" (how's that for a fuzzy goal?) and a very tenuous question "what would it be like to be a person who could run up a mountain?" Those thoughts were vague and ill defined, but they were enough to get me going and go I did. That was all that mattered.
When I look back on the last five years, and see how I dropped 65 pounds and have now run five mountain ultramarathons, I realize that just getting going was the key. If I'd waited for specifics, for metrics, for a plan or a guide, I'd still be bloated and feeling awful. Getting going and then figuring it out as I went was what unlocked my new lifestyle. And I found that specifics, the metrics, even clear goals, emerged over time as I was getting stronger and lighter and faster. Even as I was losing weight, I had no idea what my target goal weight was. Frankly, I couldn't even imagine what it was. My "goal" weight came to me as I lost weight. A couple years into running, and I still didn't have a weekly running goal--that didn't come until two things happened. First, that I even knew how much I was able to run, so I could dial in more specifically what I was even capable of. Second, as I started training for my first ultra marathon I realized I needed to have target goals in order to get in the miles needed for the race.
But let's switch to something else. What about writing? I have written and I have stalled out writing, many times. What I found is this: I've got to get started and let it flow from there. All the great writers, from Anne Lamott to Stephen King, tell you to sit down and write--just write! Blank pages can't be edited, so get something--anything-- onto the page so you've got something to come back to and hone. I found myself, at times, waiting for the inspiration that will not come without the deliberate, consistent, showing up to write. Getting started (and sometimes that means getting started EVERY DAY) knowing that as we start, and as we continue, the writing will come.
To grow, You've got to GO, start, DO something, do anything, and figure it out as you are heading out on the trail, sitting down at the keyboard, or whatever it is that you are wanting to change or develop or overcome. Go.
What's one thing you've been putting off that you can start today?
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