{"id":2770,"date":"2019-12-12T18:49:46","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T18:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/?p=2770"},"modified":"2021-09-19T16:28:54","modified_gmt":"2021-09-19T16:28:54","slug":"where-to-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/where-to-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Know Where to Start? Read This"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Don\u2019t know where to start? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re not alone compadre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the greatest performers in history have faced a similar dilemma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, they\u2019ve persisted in the face of uncertainty to forge their path. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can do the same.  But first, let me illustrate the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beijing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was a polluted evening in Beijing, the air thick with lung-clogging smog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not the weather to be outside for sure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I was meeting my friend about an idea for a new project. I\u2019d lived in Beijing for 2 years and though I\u2019d loved it, wanted a fresh adventure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the plan was to set off of a multi-country motorcycle trip and I wanted to document the trip in all its glory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My idea? Set up a website or blog to upload the trip reports. The only problem; I had no idea where to start. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More on that in a minute though.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big ambitions <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What are you struggling with? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likely it\u2019s a big ambition or goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, that\u2019s when paralysis usually sets in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps you want to change careers, lose weight or meet that special partner in crime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a strong desire, our expectations are elevated and we want to waste no time in succeeding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need it now, leaving no room for false starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, society has conditioned us to expect instant rewards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Information moves fast, and our expectations have kept pace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People pore over stories of the overnight success and get-rich-quick tropes like famished souls salivating over a juicy burger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, with all the help we need readily available, why is it that we still don\u2019t know where to start? I mean, it should be easy right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research phase <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Think about the feelings you commonly encounter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re desperate to get results, to see some tangible reward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with uncertainty setting in, you embark on an information Easter egg hunt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s both a blessing and curse to live in data utopia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the entirety of human knowledge at our fingertips, we delve deep into the pockets of the Internet, searching for information from those we wish to emulate… <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To collect the exact blueprint or step by step guide. Viola. There you go, with a little cherry on top.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But research soon becomes a proxy for real action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you don\u2019t know where to start with your goal, you always need to consume a little more content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mean, at the time it feels sensible. You\u2019ll save all that effort, you tell yourself. Why reinvent the wheel? And man, it\u2019s addictive!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading about others who\u2019ve achieved your aims makes you feel like you can almost touch the end result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Procrastination <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But the problem is, you can\u2019t. Deep down you know it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality is, you\u2019re still stuck and not knowing where to start has been exacerbated by procrastination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know you\u2019re exactly where you\u2019ve always been, making no progress. Zilch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The weight stays on, you remain in a job you loathe and you\u2019re still about as charismatic as a cucumber.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? I mean, all the resources are there. The articles, videos, training course, mentors, work experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything you need is within your grasp, but you can’t seem to take the necessary steps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, if you\u2019re like most people, it boils down to fear, and more specifically, the fear of failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see, back in our caveman days, failure could have meant the difference between life and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But times have changed and now, rather than genuine survival, we fear for our appearances and social ostracism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it needn’t be that way, as you’ll see in a minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beijing Part Two <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, this was what I\u2019d felt on that night in Beijing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember my project? I\u2019d been delving down the rabbit hole of information gathering to \u201ceducate\u201d myself about starting a website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But really it was just procrastination porn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I felt I wasn\u2019t techie and had no idea how to set up a site, let alone get people to read it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was afraid I\u2019d put a lot of effort into something that would ultimately flop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I hoped meeting a mate would put things into perspective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was experienced with websites and marketing and could give me the lowdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I met up with him, I bombarded him with questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hell, I couldn\u2019t even decide on the name of the site, let alone what was needed to make it work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon hearing my torrent of questions and concerns he silenced me with a profound piece of advice, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Just get started. You can figure out any problems as you go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/strong> Find out what happened at the end of the article \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where to start <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re all desperate for the perfect first attempt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve been led to believe that perfection is possible on our first try. That the judges will all score us a 10. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember the overnight success? Yeah, it doesn\u2019t exist in this little realm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mean, how often does the budding writer pen a bestseller on their first attempt? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyone starting anything new<\/a> is beset by uncertainty and if they do finally build up the gumption to start, they\u2019re generally crap. This is normal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, Michael Jordan didn\u2019t emerge from the womb dunking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the thing; achieving anything worthwhile takes time and although we seek to minimise mistakes and achieve our goal immediately, simply making progress is paramount. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s only when we dive straight into our goals without knowing all the answers that we begin to gather the feedback needed to improve and start making progress.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we constantly question where to start, we essentially spin our wheels and stay static. No bueno. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have to be willing to take messy, uncoordinated action and put up with poor performance for what may seem like an ungodly amount of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s through this constant action, failure and iteration that we finally start to chip away at those big ambitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, to the question of where to start?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From where you stand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

* P.S.<\/strong> If you\u2019re still with me and wondering what happened in this little story… <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, I did end up doing a motorbike trip around Europe, and I did take my friend\u2019s advice, diving in to set up a website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To cut a long story short, that site didn\u2019t pan out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But…and here\u2019s the big but. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was through that failure that I developed the initial layer of confidence to build something online and share my thoughts with the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years and a few websites later, you\u2019re reading my most recent creation, which has benefitted from all of the preceding steps, stuttering progress and gradual improvement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not sure where to start on that big goal? <\/p>\n

You’re not alone compadre. <\/p>\n

In this article we look at the process of getting going. <\/p>\n

Click here to read more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDon't Know Where to Start? Read This | Bloomsoup<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Not sure where to start on that big goal? You're not alone compadre. In this article we look at the process of getting going. Click here to read more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/where-to-start\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don't Know Where to Start? Read This | Bloomsoup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Not sure where to start on that big goal? 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