So last month, I started a podcast. This has been a dream of mine for YEARS. Yet I just couldn’t get started. If you asked me why, I would have given you some very compelling reasons for this, and you might have even bought them! In reality, I was so focussed on why now was not the right time, I didn’t stop to think about why now was the right time.
Do you have something you want to start, try, explore, get off the ground? How much time and headspace are you spending on why it won’t work? What if you flipped the script and instead imagined how it could work?
Here are some ways to get started:
- Acknowledge your fears out loud, to someone who is a cheerleader and not a naysayer.
- Address the perceived barriers with your cheerleader friend. Brainstorm on ways to overcome and push through areas.
- Just start. You don’t have to take a massive step, baby steps towards your goal count too. But nothing will happen without a little momentum.
- Let go of why it’s taken you so long, or the years you “wasted.” These thoughts are not going to get you motivated. Instead you might go down the rabbit hole and never act on your dreams. (If you have a timeline in your head of when things were “supposed” to happen, I encourage you to google inspiring folks who found success later in life. That’s a rabbit hole I encourage!)
- Visualize your dream. Olympians do this. NBA players do this. They visualize getting to the finish line, making the game winning basket. They let themselves feel all the excitement that comes with that win. Use your imagination for good, and not for all the ways it could not work.
- Set aside regular time to work on your goal. Make it a habit. And don’t cancel on yourself. Enlist others to hold you accountable.
- Don’t keep it to yourself. You may discover you have more resources available to you once you say your dream out loud. I found that once I talked about wanting to start a podcast with more and more people, I was in the company of folks who knew just how to help me!
- Don’t start or stop based on people’s approval. While it feels great when everyone is on board, it also can’t be your motivation. Approval comes and goes, and if you grow dependent on it, it will be the driving force which can be dangerous to your dreams.
I want to end by reminding you, that there is room for you and your dream/goal in this world. Don’t waste any more time telling yourself it’s too late. Don’t spend another minute comparing yourself to someone else who got to where you want to be, faster. You bring your own unique “you-ness” to whatever you want to accomplish. And we all can’t WAIT to see what you’ve got the courage to show us!
Take care of YOU.
P.S. You can find my podcast on Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Pocket Casts, and Overcast: Self-care with Esther
Self-care for Caregivers 