The greats are around us all the time. In books we’re reading, studies we’re completing, shared learning in our social circles. Capture them when you do hear, read, or learn them. One of the best writing exercises that can be done, is the one where you go deep on something that impacted you.
W.H. Murray had one that knocked me back on my heels. Why? Because in this quote I saw myself. Or rather, my excuse in not starting something, I have all the skill to start today. It was my reminder to not wait. Here’s the quote:
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”
W.H. Murray
We wait. Then we wait some more. Then we con ourselves into something else, or work ourselves into a temptation loop that keeps us from doing what we dream of. Or, we grab onto our favorite gadget of the day, find a dopamine hit in a newsfeed, doom scrolling our way into a tizzy. Now we’re tired, spent, moving into a calm rage of binging and eating snacks with our favorite characters on TV tha inspired us in the first place to be something greater or to even dream.
If you haven’t guessed, that was me just yesterday. I’m sure it was all of us at one time. That quote makes me determined to stop that bad loop of distractions. They’re all excuses really to not pursuing the dream in front of me. Maybe there is also some fear of failure in there subconsciously?
I think about too, how often we wait for just the right cue to start the dream that is in front of us. We wait for the planets to align perfectly before getting started on the journey. If one lone hobbit can do it, then I can. The magic I have found is actually in the start!
The best thing that I have experienced is just take a cold start. Once you start, the true dream is motion. There’s momentum in that action. Seeing yourself in the dream, beginning the work, looking back and saying very confidently, “I am on my way to my dream!” It’s a catalyst to look at yourself and see yourself doing the work of your dream. That’s how a 3 mile 8min/mile turned into a 8.10 mile run at 8min/mile. There’s time enough along the way to tweak, play “is it working scenarios”, and examine it. Examine it while you’re in motion. Don’t try to do it before you get started, or again, you’ll trick yourself out of your dream.
Just start. Let the momentum get its chance! Celebrate along the way, that you’re well on your way! After all, the hardest part of bringing a dream to life, is almost surely the start.
✌🏻 Shawn
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