Let's Begin, shall we?

Start, kick-off, commence, launch, get moving. Many ways to describe the elusive act of beginning. Why is this often so difficult?

I'd like to think of myself as more of a 'delayer' than a procrastinator. Merely postponing temporarily. Getting ready, getting set. Ready, set, one, two, three...ready, set, just a second, one, two. Something is missing.

I had a brilliant, in my opinion, epiphany about how to best organize my writings, my scattered thoughts and journal entries. My annoyingly logical brain stepped in and created Excel spreadsheets, systems, categories and sure-fire methods to track, plot, assemble, arrange and coordinate everything. Easy peasy. Now I'm ready. Really, I am ready and getting set!

Computer is open and away I go. Excel is patiently awaiting my directions and I open a few extra worksheets to anticipate this smooth, gargantuan endeavor. Over an hour passes and I've only managed to categorize, partially, 5 journal entries. Five, cinco, one hand's worth of fingers. Sigh...this is a way bigger job than I bargained for. The balloon is deflating and my logical, amazing idea is sulking into the background. I try to rally, keep it alive. It's the only way, the best way, the sole and single path. There is no other solution.

It's been 7 years since this vision appeared to me. I secured domain names and planned, pondered and wrote. 7 years of writing, journaling and compiling thoughts and observations. My logical, perfect procedure is well underway. This shouldn't take me but another 15 or so years to organize and publish....Oh dear. Clearly a problem.

The trail feels great this morning and I breath in the fresh air. I bring my tails of woe and overwhelmed angst and admit defeat. These are the moments, when I'm low, dejected and at my wits' end, where the magic happens. I'm listening, willing and ready for solutions. I am rewarded yet again. "Well, yes, you've created a nice, logical system, but you need to just START. Forget all the ready, set and skip directly to GO"!

The trail is right. I understand and simply say "Thank You". I will never be ready. Set will continue to move away from me and jump is the only hope of moving forward. Go is the logical answer, not spreadsheets.

I know better than to offer any objection to this guidance and although I wrote this over 30 days ago, my plan would have lingered another 30 years left to my own devices. Go is so simple, so perfect and quite frankly, so easy. Why do I overcomplicate?

The car is now in drive and I'm really not quite ready. This is exactly why I'm starting now. I'll never be ready, certainly not set and go would remain a carrot with wings, always flying out of my reach.

What do you need to start? What project, idea, design or goal won't leave you alone? If you cannot walk away, if it stalks you and pesters you, I suggest turning around to face the music and dance. Begin. Start. Go!