Starting is often harder than the actual doing. It’s making a start that’s most difficult. Why is that and how do we avoid it?
Photo courtesy of "generated"
What’s the one thing on your to-do list that you want to get done, or even need to complete, but just can’t seem to start?
Everyone has something, what’s your thing?
Making a start.
There’s all sorts of reasons why people don’t start the things they need to do. I’m not sure about you, but for me there’s almost as many reasons for not making a start on things as there are things to do. Apart from plain old procrastination, here’s a few of the reasons I’ve found it difficult to make a start;
Perfection – In other words, the thinking that if I start, it has to be perfect. Not a great reason to put off making a start, because most things we start aren’t perfect at the beginning. Most things take time, editing and lot’s of drafts to get them to perfect.
Having to finish – I can think of times when I’ve not started a to-do item purely because I’ve not wanted to invest the time to finish the whole thing I’ve started. Ridiculous, because almost anything that’s started can be paused and returned to later. Surely it’s better to make a start and come back if you need to?
Lack of motivation – This one is probably one of the most common reasons people don’t start things. They just can’t be bothered, because there’s no reason in mind for why they should even start. Essentially this is just laziness!
Distraction – With multiple things on the go all at once, emails continuously coming in, tweets to read, status updates to write, tv shows to watch, blog posts to write, meetings to attend, family and friends to interact with, telephones ringing, and people dropping by for impromptu meetings, there’s always good (and bad) things to distract us from starting.
Everything starts with God.
No matter what it is you want, or need to make a start on, it all happens as a response to God’s start. His beginning of everything is the only reason why we can make a start on anything.
‘In the beginning God…’ Genesis 1:1a
God was at the beginning and he preceded the beginning. He is our beginning. Every day He creates a new beginning and He never grows tired of making new beginnings.
I hope that as I write about our the difficulty we seem to all have with making a start on almost any project we attempt, it reminds you of the magnificence of God and His amazing ability to start.
Today, as you commence new things, as you start your to-do list, call to mind all the things that God has already begun in your life and, seek His help in making a start. Ask Him to grow in you an ability to put aside excuses and procrastination.
Then, and only then, make a start.
Over to you…
Do you find it difficult to make a start, or am I the only one? What’s the best excuse you’ve used? Add you response in the comment section below.
Haha..I havent quilted for months..lacked vision..couldnt see the finished quilt in my mind..suddenly last week got the vision , took the Farmer to Spotlight and a few ? Dollars later and a few days later I’ve cut and sewn ,plastic bagged ..all ready to hand sew at Hillsong conference.Sometimes making a start requires sound judgement.I am not a perfectionist ..in fact I am a “jack” of a lot and master of none..BUT I love what I do..and I have learned one important thing in this life and that is that timing is everything, and GODS timing is perfect.Sometimes we put off things because the “gut”feeling isn’t right.Once you start you fly.
Great Jenni – I like the part where you said “once you start you fly”… very true!
Ha! I read your post because I am having trouble finishing something that really is very important to me. Partly because if I finish the work in front of me, I get to “start” my new season in Illustration, something I’ve dreamed of doing since I was 4 years old. This deadline is the only thing standing between me and being free to begin again, and its exciting and its also scary… and I realised fear of succeeding can be another reason not to start…your post helped me see that, so thanks!
Hey Phoebe – thanks for being distracted from what you should have been completing to write a comment!! Isn’t is crazy how we sometimes high-jack our own future simply our of fear!!