Starting the Journey

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Lao-tzu

Do you ever just think about something on your "to do" list and feel so overwhelmed that you don't even know where to start?

I feel that way about organizing my office. Some days I feel like I'm drowning in paper. It's a constant daily struggle that I have to think about and work on if I want to keep up with it. I've fallen a bit behind on my filing and right now I have a large stack of papers taunting me.

Often when one feels overwhelmed, it's even more difficult to start on a task since you feel like a small step will hardly matter. It's amazing how we are magically able to find almost anything else to do - even organizing your sock drawer - rather than address the real issue.

Many people have the same feeling about losing weight, getting in shape, or just living a healthier lifestyle. You keep letting it go until the problem seems too overwhelming to tackle. You then become stuck, feeling like you don't even know where to begin.

It's often at this point we play the "justification" game on why we can't address the issue. We come up with a laundry list of reasons on why this isn't a priority such as I'm too busy or too stressed. Some folks focus on others and rage against the injustice of it all. For example, "Those darn healthy, skinny, muscular, etc.....___________ (fill in the blank) people have it so much easier than I do. It's just not fair." Others convince themselves it doesn't matter to them and it's really not important because if it was that might mean they would have to take action.

When the goal seems overwhelming, the most important thing is just taking the first step. Maybe that's choosing to eat a piece of fruit for dessert instead of a cookie. Maybe that's choosing to go for a walk around the block instead of settling into the couch for the evening. It's the consistent small steps that add up to the big changes.

If you're just learning to run, you can't expect to run 2 miles one day and be ready for a marathon the next. You have to train, practice, and keep working at it. You will accomplish your goal one step at a time but you'll never get there if you never start.