The first step, that is. Sometimes, it’s not only difficult, it’s also scary as hell. A lot of the time, references are made to Lao Tzu, who said “a journey of 1000 miles must begin with a single step”. There are other variations, depending on the translations, but you get the idea. Before you can get anywhere, you have to start going.
It’s always exciting to get started on a new project. The reading, the planning, the thinking, more reading, and then the day when you take that first step.
Before you do anything, you have to overcome inertia. For those who don’t remember Physics class, inertia is the principle that an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by another force. A ball on a table won’t spontaneously start moving; it has to be pushed. Once you get past that part, it gets easier to keep going. Obviously, some things are more difficult to accomplish than others. Some won’t involve a huge time or money investment.
As I mentioned in the last post, I recently started my first batch of cider, among other things.. I did some reading and thinking, more reading and thinking, but then the time had come; I had to shit or get off the pot. I figured out what I needed, then went to a local home brew supply store called Great Fermentations and talked to their resident cidermaker, who put it all together. I got the gear I needed for about $30, picked up a gallon of UV pasteurized cider from a local orchard, and followed the instructions I got to put it together. It’s now sitting in my kitchen, the airlock bubbling away.
It’s not a grand step that I needed to take, but it still required action. Research and planning is important but every plan has a point when you have to act or that plan isn’t worth anything. To quote Tyler Tervooren from Advanced Riskology, “start with a tiny step and then, if it works, follow it up immediately with an enormous one” (read it here).
It’s really a pretty easy idea. Start with something on a scale small enough to not risk much but large enough to see a useful result, then do it again.
So I did the same thing with the gym. I finished Rebel Race and then, realizing that I’d checked something off my to do list, it was time to take advantage of that momentum and do something else. I’d already decided I was going to work with the StrongLifts 5×5 routine, I just had to start it. Now, I’m on week 3 and have already moved up to deadlifting over my body weight for work sets. This re-entry has led to picking the kettlebells up and rebuilding my conditioning. The Tactical Strength Challenge and GS events will both require a high level of strength and conditioning that I’ve now started working toward.
As I also mentioned in the last post, I registered for the Spartan Race. I’m also looking at doing Run For Your Lives, because I missed the one this past summer with an injury. Once I get registered for that, I’ll need one more and another one of my goals will be within reach.
Figure out what you want, find the smallest step you can take that’s still practical, and then do it. When it works, jump all the way in.
Cheers, Jesse. Here’s to taking more first steps.