the art of living

Making the first step toward something is always the most difficult part. Why is that? Because before we make a new start we need to prepare physically and mentally. We are thinking of all the possible scenarios of what might happen once we make a start: good outcomes and bad outcomes. We are trying to plan so far ahead that our mind just gets overworked. And how can we? How can we plan years ahead when every day things we haven’t planned or are able to control just happen? And then it’s all the negative thoughts and fears that start taking over. We are always trying to prepare for the things that will go wrong and our failures. And we end up thinking a lot more of the negatives than the positives. And that keeps building up until all we have is fear. We have already created a negative reality and as a result of that we don’t want to take that first step. We don’t want to make that change. And we go over it again and again and it takes along time or it never happens.

But what if things did go well? What if everything worked out the way we wanted? And what if it didn’t work out the way we thought but differently? But it was as good as we would like it to be or even better that we thought? Why do we more rarely create these positive thoughts? Is it because we are stuck in our ways and the idea of how things should be? Everything needs to be the way we expect it otherwise it’s not good enough and we have failed in what we wanted to do.

But let’s think about it… What if we make a plan and down the line life is forcing us to change that plan for circumstances we cannot control? But the outcome is still pretty good! We are still as happy as we wanted to be but we didn’t get there the way we thought we would but a different one. This could mean that there are infinite ways for us to get where we want and we don’t even have to think about them or plan them in advance. Because they will show up for us as we go along and a change of plans is not a failure but help we get to have what we really need instead of what we think we do. So we don’t need to overthink, plan too far along and prepare for a series of things going wrong. We just need to make that first step and see what happens. If we find an obstacle in the way we turn to a different direction, we move around it or we overcome it and then we see what happens next. Step by step. It’s not a failure, it’s a progress! It’s a step closer to what we want and need to be Happy! One choice at a time, one experience at a time and we create the way forward…

If you want to do something, think about it, make some plans and get started. But don’t dwell on it too much because in the end you never know what will happen. You can only assume… Make that first step! Make, whatever it is, happen!