A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Lao-Tzu
You may have heard these famous words by the Chinese philosopher a dozen times before, especially around the New Year. But this time I want you to stop and really think about them.
I’ll give you a minute.
In analyzing these words myself, I kept going back to my personal barriers. I’ve mentioned a couple of them before: time constraints, and lack of self-confidence. But Lao-Tzu’s words made me realize that all my barriers come down to taking that first crucial step. I finally understood the true amount of energy it takes to actually get started.
Physicists understood this concept a long time ago, but I’m just catching up. The first part of Newton’s First Law of Motion states that an object at rest stays at rest. Conversely, an object in motion stays in motion. Fair enough. But what happens when there are forces fighting against that movement?
For me, that force is fear. Fear of taking that first step. Fear of not having enough time. Fear of failure. All of these things can keep my mind and body at rest. And it’s not just about weight loss or body image. Even starting STRIVE with Janelle was met with a huge amount of fear. Yes, I have a passion for helping people like me take their own first steps toward change, but acting on that desire meant shining a whole new light on myself, flaws and all, and that was scary. It still is, but the more I do it, the easier it gets (guess that whole staying in motion thing really is true).
When feelings of fear arise I always go back and read a blog post from Mastin Kipp, founder of The Daily Love, in which he shares his amazing perspective on fear.
Fear is necessary in order to grow
I highly encourage you to check it out, but one of his main points is that fear is necessary in order to grow. He also feels we need the growth to be happy, so he proposes to be aware of your fear. When every bone in my body is telling me to run, I think about the words of Mastin, Lao-Tzu and Newton’s First Law of Motion. All of these things work together to propel me forward in every aspect of this thing called life.
So what are some of your personal goals? Do you want to be more active? Start a business you’ve been thinking about for a long time? Write a book?
Now think about the force that is keeping your body still. If it’s fear, embrace it. Then use it to put your desires into motion. Remember, everyone at STRIVE with Janelle is here to help #MakeTheMostofYou!