Begin

Once upon a time – in June – I felt listless. Emotionally, I was listless. The same could be said for my life. As a lifelong list maker, my compass and anchor were missing. My challenge wasn’t that I didn’t have projects to attend to, it was (is) learning how to have success in this post brain surgery body. 

I have written about doing a Brain Clear and Backlogging. Write out all that is rattling around – like dumping out the junk drawer. Then look at what is there and what is missing.  Using a Backlog to identify categories and projects gives you a strategic place to begin. You will also recognize things that aren’t projects, but might be important – like values, hobbies, hopes, dreams, roles, things to put on a grocery list. We’ll tackle those someday, but not today.  

Let me introduce my final magical B: BEGIN. And the magic comes from you, not the list. 

Some people have no problem beginning. They are often the people that figure out what they are thinking by talking. Most of the time I’m not one of them. I often think about what I want to say for so long that I miss the opportunity. I’m married to a talker and a do-er. Marc is married to a thinker and an evaluator. We are a perfect balance for each other (usually). 

My challenge – and maybe yours – is that evaluating and waiting ‘keep me safe’. They also keep me stuck.

Let’s look at physics for help with beginning –  Newton’s first and second laws of motion in particular. 

Newton #1 – An object will remain at rest or an object will remain in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. 

Nothing will happen without effort. This past week, I took the energy of my ‘thinking about’ the logistics of my coaching credential exam (ICF) and pushed. With information gathered, I moved further and chose an exam date. Now my effort  has shifted from test anxiety to making (check)lists and scheduling appointments with myself to get exam ready. 

Newton’s Law #2 – The acceleration of an object depends on the mass of the object and the amount of force applied. 

My buy-in matters. When I began my coaching education, accreditation was part of my story and focus. A lot of mass and force have been invested with effort and hope. The action of the mouseclick that chose the date had a lot of mass and force. My preparation over the next month will benefit from the acceleration created over the last couple years. 

The Magic of Beginning is found in our connecting with what is important to us, and our commitment to risk. Which do I want more – to stay in equilibrium, or to take a path that will include possible surprises. 

Beginning is more than mouseclick. It is risk. We will never know EXACTLY where a beginning will end. But that shouldn’t keep us from stepping over the starting line.   

I know you have the magic in you. And I’m by your side cheering.