New Beginnings

When approaching a challenge, often the hardest part is simply to begin. Our fears, doubts and worries may hold us back from starting, preventing us from failing but at the same time keeping us from achieving more. We may see the big picture as a terrifying endeavor, that is going to take a lot of work and persistence, exhausting us but ultimately allowing us to become stronger in the end.

You may be alone as you take off on your journey, but never fear, you are equipped with a brain full of wisdom and an empty backpack, ready to store even more knowledge. You don’t have to know everything you will eventually learn right away, otherwise you wouldn’t be on this road in the first place.

At times, these fears will run through my mind, that I’m not prepared or capable enough to complete a task and it will end in failure. But I’ve found there truly is never a right time to be fully prepared. It is only once you begin to immerse yourself, that you will gain clarity of what must be done. Once this is grasped, you can equip yourself with the tools of success and whittle away at each task until your goal is reached.

The choice to start is one that may require a push, whether it’s from within or forces outside ourselves, but once it has begun, you should already feel accomplished. Just cross off little goals and before you know it, you will have completed a list.

Most recently, I have been at battle with nervous thoughts, while crafting this blog, a process that has already taught me a great deal. I have strong ambitions for this site, but I will admit, it took a jolt of courage for me to begin writing this first blog post. I couldn’t figure out where to start, because I saw this post as an encapsulation of myself and everything this blog represents, it had to be insightful and perfect and meaningful, all within the first draft.

I was asking a lot of this post, putting so much pressure on myself that I was stifling any creativity from releasing. I saw it as the entire challenge, when it’s only a stepping stone on a long path. I figured out, I don’t have to walk the entire path today or tomorrow, I just need to find the strength to take a few steps forward. Once I changed my approach, I found myself putting words down on a page, knowing they may not be the first line or even included at all, but they were a jumping off point.

Taking that initial leap may seem daunting with so many unknowns on your path, but with each step you take, your lantern will illuminate more of what is to come. You will gain knowledge and pick up tools along the road, that you may not have even known you needed, but can be useful down the line.

Switching my mindset from one that is anxiety-ridden with all that must be done, to one that focuses on the task at hand, has greatly improved my mental clarity. It’s easy to get weighed down in anticipation of what is to come, instead of devoting your brain power towards the present situation.

Trust me, I know how hard it is to let go of worrisome thoughts. But once I realized this process wasn’t serving me and actually drained my energy, I decided to work on combatting these thoughts. This is by no means, something I have solved for myself completely, I still struggle with battles in my brain. I don’t beat myself when my brain gets in this mindset, instead I will redirect my thoughts in any way possible, whether it’s doing a mindless task (like cleaning) or doing something that brings me joy, while still feeling productive (like playing my ukulele).

All I needed to do was cross the starting line and from there, I have been finding my groove and pace. Drafting, constant editing, putting it down for a day, rewriting, scrutinizing and editing again, it’s not going to all come together in one sitting and I am accepting this. I don’t expect my first blog posts to be ground-breaking or exceptional, at least not if I expect growth in myself. They will be my first iterations of my inner thoughts, that I hope to share candidly and openly with you all.

As I write each piece, I hope to gain knowledge that will carry on and improve my future undertakings. I am so excited to be sharing parts of my soul, that I hope speak to you and your heart. Life is all about connections, without them, we would just be floating through life, going through the motions with no intentions or motivation. Let this be a space where community can grow and conversation flows, where you can teach me just as much as I show you.

I seek what sets my soul on fire and want to share this passion with you. You may jive with some of these thoughts and ideas, while others you may not care for. That’s what makes blogging so special, it allows you to process everything in your own space and interpret it for your own situation, taking and leaving what suits you best.

For a more in-depth look of what is to come for this blog, I invite you to read my “About” page.

I am grateful you have taken the time to read this post and hope I can share my thoughts with you in the future.

I hope you find the courage to take on one challenging thing in your life, that you have held off from starting. Remember, little steps still lead to progress down the path. It doesn’t have to be perfect or exactly how you pictured it, as long as you are putting in the work, it will turn out exactly as the universe has intended.

The element we channel is… Air. This element represents new beginnings, coming from the East, it symbolizes the sun’s journey into the sky every morning. It may take a while for the sun to rise up every morning, but once it is up, there is no stopping its beautiful rays from shining. Think of yourself as the sun on the edge of the horizon, once you cross over, everything becomes brighter and you will be able to see the other side with more clarity.

My question for you is… What would you start if fear didn't hold you back?