So Take That Step…I know You Can Do it!

We’ve all had ups and downs in life, grand accomplishments and whale size mistakes. The challenge is being able to move between the ups and downs, as life does not consist only of ups or downs. Some of the greatest challenges and growth opportunities in life come from failure, licking the wounds, and then progressing forward. The smartest people I know are the ones who can recognize the lessons from their failures and apply them moving forward.

All that means we have to employ courage to keep progressing. Be it a new venture, relationship, idea or taking what we are currently doing to the next level. Facing the next step means we have to muster the best we know, apply it to our current situation AND then do lots of hard work. Oh rats, its’ that phrase again – hard work! Nothing great was ever accomplished without hard work. Somehow we have become afraid or hesitant to start doing something because it will be work. Again, NOTHING was ever accomplished without a great deal of hard work.

So what does hard work look like in your world? Is it physical labor? The kind that makes your muscles hurt and sweat cover your brow. Maybe you need to muster and do the kind of hard work that requires concentration and long periods of silence? Your idea keeps percolating in your head, yet you are hesitating to spend the time (take the time, invest the time) to flush out your idea. Maybe it’s not worth it, you doubt that you have the courage to sit and ponder, write it all out only to find out that you really don’t want to take it to the next level. And then there is the project in progress that has stalled. Fear, physical exertion, distractions or just living life itself has halted your progress and you are having a hard time getting back to the work. And heaven forbid you need to ask for help…that would be awful!?! Asking someone else to help you do what you want to do, then having to say thank you!?! One or all of these road blocks can stop any of us in our tracks. Here is where courage comes into play.

What if you dared to believe that you could do the physical labor, or at least start? What if you sat down for thirty minutes and starting writing down your idea to see what comes out of your head and onto the paper? Or what if, you picked up your tools and just started on the next small section of the half done idea? And if you need help, what if you asked for it AND they agreed? The first step – which means employing courage – is usually the toughest one. Momentum takes you forward, yet you need to take the first courageous step to get the momentum going. Dare to believe that what you want – the project, the idea, the change – is worth at least taking that first step.

So, today your challenge is to employ your courage, set aside your excuses and self doubt, and just take that first scary step. Dare to believe that you can do one thing, then another, until finally what you thought was impossible or that you were unworthy to do…gets farther along and eventually done. No matter what that little voice in your head tells you, YOU CAN DO IT…self recovery is possible. It starts with you believing in yourself. It all starts by taking that courageous first step.

So take that step…I know you can do it!