Doing Is Daunting

I can sit and stare at my computer screen for hours. I have the words I want to say in my head, but trying to write them out is harder. It seems like the words never come out perfectly how I had them in my head. But sitting there and waiting for the words to come perfectly is easy. Hours go by and I don’t even notice sometimes, because I think this is the most productive way to go about this.

It’s not.

Sometimes there are things in life that scare us. Sometimes the next steps or phases in our life seem way too hard or way too much to handle. And sometimes that leads us to pausing, to staying right we are, to not moving forward and not facing what could be ahead.

I know I do this.

In this series, I’ve talked about how planning is exciting, and I’ve talked about how wasting time is easy. But now it’s time to talk about what’s next.

ONE RIGHT WAY?

Oftentimes when it comes to goals, we research and seek for a way to accomplish them. We see all these different “experts” saying they know how to help us achieve our goals. I am not saying they don’t know a thing or two about accomplishing goals, but a lot of people have a lot of different ways to do so.

But why are there so many “right” ways?

All these different “right” ways seem SO overwhelming. Sometimes they make trying to take any action not worth all the trouble.

CONSTANT FAILURE

I felt like every time I tried to start something and work towards a goal, something would happen and my plans would be completely derailed. And it would completely deflate me. It was as if everything I tried failed.

I labeled myself a failure instead of looking at any progress I had made and instead of congratulating myself on even trying. I still do this sometimes, but I am working on this.

CONSTANT ROADBLOCKS

In those moments of failure, instead of looking at what I could learn from it, I focused on and got angry at the many roadblocks that had stood in the way. Whether it was lack of money, negative people, mistakes that I had made, depression, anxiety, a loss, I found every bad thing and focused on that.

Sometimes I was my own roadblock. I could have everything ready for something I was so excited about planning. And then I’d stop and overthink, and get scared of taking any action, finding any and every excuse to stay still and not move even an inch.

THE FEAR

Not only is it scary to get out of your comfort zone, but it’s scary to see all the hate Christian bloggers, Instagramers, Podcasts, and YouTube channels get, and then still want to do something similar.

I am not ashamed of my faith and will proclaim the Gospel until the day I die. However, no one ever wants death threats, rude comments or comments and videos meant to tear you down as a person for being who you are. It’s hard to see that and it brought out the fear in me. And I let this fear stop me from posting certain things.

ONE STEP OF FAITH AT A TIME

When it comes to accomplishing any goal, it important to remember:

It’s not about taking huge leaps.  It’s about taking the first step. And then the next step and then the next.

Believe me, I’m preaching to myself here.

I had to learn that planning wasn’t doing.

Start somewhere

Once I took that first step of faith and actually posted something I had written, it was like the writer’s block disappeared. In fact right after that, the ideas and words kept flowing and didn’t stop. I wrote for hours. And it felt so good.

Ideas were coming out of nowhere. And it happened because I decided to take that first step. So I want to encourage you to do the same.

What’s your next step?

Yes, those steps won’t always be easy. Sometimes they may feel like the end is not in sight. Sometimes it feels like the end goal will never come true. Sometimes it seems too big for us to accomplish. Sometimes those steps seem pointless. Sometimes it feels like giving up would be the better option.

Please, don’t believe those lies.

Working towards a goal takes work. Goals can’t just be dreamed about, they have to be pursued. It’s a process and a journey that is so, so worth traveling.

So what have you been procrastinating on doing? What is God calling you to do? Will you do it? Are you willing to take the first step?

The truth is, any step is better than no step at all.

DAUNTING BUT WORTH IT

Doing or starting anything can be scary. But I want to be able to look back and be glad I took the next step instead of staying in the same place. When I think about being in the future and looking back at myself, I don’t want to say I never moved.

Your doing is never in vain

Thinking about actually doing anything on my list of goals has been hard for me. I never thought I could do any of it. I used to believe in myself. It’s time I believe in myself again. It’s time to believe in yourself.

Despite the failures and mistakes, the roadblocks and fear, taking a step is beyond worth it.

Taking the first step leads to so much more than just thinking about doing so. Sounds simple, I know. But life isn’t simple and our minds like to put the doubts and lies at the forefront. Let’s not let the lies win.

With each step forward, I have another step behind me. With each step forward, I have another thing accomplished. With each step forward, I get closer to where I want to be.

I say all this not because I have arrived at my destination, but because I am starting my journey to that place. Life is a journey filled with different seasons and many destinations. It’s a journey I am so excited about taking.

Though every journey looks different, you are not alone in yours. I believe in you succeeding, in whatever that may look like for you. I am cheering you on!

You got this!

How can I encourage you in one of your goals?