Yo Guys, and welcome back to Wisdom of the Week! The erudite American author, Mark Twain was once quoted, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
Alrighty Mr. Twain, but how exactly do you go about getting started, eh? No tips there from that cranky old guy. Worry not, fair reader, for we have our own tips to conquering those things that you just don’t have the will to get off of the couch to do (I write, whilst I sit on the couch). In the wise people I have interrogated existences’, we have found that by setting up everything you do to be ready for the next instance, your ability to start increases dramatically. For example, as a human being that eats food, I often dread the dish washing time. The dishes are dirty and covered in old, half rotten food particles, and ugh, it’s simply horrible. However, if I simply rinse off all of my dishes after I am done eating, and maybe give them a quick scrub with the sponge; actually washing them later is a matter of throwing a little soap on them and rinsing it off. Just by setting up for the next time, I have destroyed my nasty fear of doing dishes, and the dirty food particles that go along with it. Another simple way to get started is to look for the aspects of whatever you are doing that you enjoy. If you enjoy something, you’ll be excited to begin. Find a way to enjoy the process of what you’re doing, and the accomplishment of the task will be an unexpected effect.
Here’s the link to a podcast we recorded about learning to get ahead by getting started for your auditory pleasure: