How to overcome your resistance to getting started

I just did something I haven’t done in a long time.

I went for a run. Laced up my sneakers and bolted out the door before my familiar excuses could sneak up on me.

I took off down the dirt ranch road and hit the street pavement running.

It felt foreign and liberating to move my body in a range of motion that didn’t include swinging a pitchfork, lifting a hay bale or scrubbing out a water tank.

Especially to wear shorts and have my legs exposed to the light of day after constantly wearing jeans.

I didn’t make it too far before running out of breath and getting a side cramp. I slowed down and walked. Power walked. Swinging my arms to maintain momentum.

A half block later, Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” blasted in my headphones and brought me a second wind. (I love how certain songs will do that.)

The renewed running pace lasted a few blocks. Huffing and puffing with a beet red face, I slowed to a walk again. My original “go for a run” concept turned into a run/walk and every speed in between.

And that’s ok. It was a start.

It felt good to be breathing hard, sweating and moving my body in a new way.  I felt alive and finally over the mountain of resistance that tends to keep me from starting things.

Often, the hardest part is getting started. We often waste more time thinking about it than just doing it.

Our ego isn’t a fan of the messy, awkward, beginning stage therefore it keeps us from starting at all.

Start anyway.

You might be out of practice (and end up with a side cramp). So what. Give yourself some compassion (and an epson salt bath later, that’s my plan anyways).

The important part is to just start somewhere…you will feel better by beginning AND, side bonus, feel inspired to do other things. Like me, here, writing a new blog post which is also something I have put off starting until my run/walk happened. Funny how the positive domino effect spills over into other areas of our life.

Don’t wait until tomorrow (that’s what your ego wants). Today, start one thing that you have been resisting. You’ll feel better by starting it, guaranteed.

With sneakers still on and a beet red face,

Devon