How to (re)Start

What’s the best way to start something new? And how do you convince yourself to ignore the excuses of “why try” and embrace the reasons of “why not?” More importantly, why would you take advice from someone like me who struggles with consistency? Well, I can’t answer that last question, but I can tell you I am trying. That’s been the motto lately; just try it. Try it and see if it makes you feel better, worse, differently, the same but a little weirder, etc. Just the act of “trying“ can be the hardest thing you do all day. It can be so enticing to simply go through the motions each day in hopes of not rocking the boat. But where the hell is the boat going anyway?

Often I think back to when I was a kid. I would try new things all the time. Everything was new and there seemed to be a gravitational pull towards testing out new theories or ideas. It was the feeling of excitement in its’ purest form. I’m sure my memory has been distorted over the years, but I don’t remember the feeling of nervousness or anxiety when I think about trying out something new as a kid. Maybe it was because all of my friends were doing it and there was some type of “strength in numbers” about it all. Or maybe I just wasn’t educated on how the body interprets something new or exciting. Either way, I miss running blindly into those new things with the innocent perspective that it could be great.

I think that’s what I was going for when I started writing on Substack. I knew I had ideas and stories that I wanted to share and I found the quickest path to get there. Sure, I had dreams of starting a viral YouTube channel or building an adventure trip-planning company, but those things take time. Those ideas are big and scary and come with a long list of personal excuses to wade through. Writing a simple article once a week seemed like the right approach. Until even that became too much. ProTip for anyone starting: don’t overcommit yourself to a publishing schedule that you can’t maintain with articles that are twice as long as they should be.

I found out very quickly that trying something new as an adult is quite different than when I was a kid. People view your work and your efforts, all the time, everywhere. Those views, likes, and comments start to create a scorecard for the next iteration. Once you have a few pieces out there, you begin to rank them into some arbitrary system that you’ve created. Before you know it, you are either writing about stuff you don’t care about anymore, or you aren’t writing at all. The fear of being disingenuous has crept in and clouded your judgment on exactly what to do next. So you do nothing. This paralysis is what stops us adults from channeling the inner kid. The inner kid wouldn’t care about how others view their work. They would’ve forgotten all about that work and would be onto something else. It could be another article or another hobby altogether. The inner kid embraces change because, unbeknownst to them, change breeds evolution, and evolution keeps you from getting stuck. The kid ships work out without asking for permission, period. This is the energy that we adults need to keep trying. Trying something new always kills the feeling of being stuck. It’s not guaranteed to make you feel better, but you will always feel something different.

I shared on Instagram that I recently competed in my first mountain bike race. I’ve been riding bikes of some variety since I was 6, so it was entering an actual race that was the real challenge for me. Since it was my first race, my expectations were pretty low on how well I would do or how much fun I would have. Leading up to it, I was pretty nervous, and honestly, my stomach was in knots right up until the starting line. Then something euphoric happened. I started pedaling down the trail as fast as I could, swerving and weaving between the trees, I felt like I was flying. It was almost as if I was going so fast that my thoughts and nerves couldn’t catch up. After a few minutes on the trail, I noticed that I was smiling. Like a BIG grin. You know the type of grin where if you did that in public people would stare at you? Yea, that’s the one. Not a forced smile at an uncomfortable adult dinner party. This feeling came straight from the inner kid.

I’ve been riding that high since the race and have been searching for the next fun thing to try. The only thing that I’ve found to fight the fear of that smile fading away is to run as fast as I can to the next challenge. Constantly chasing that feeling. Looking for ways to grow and stretch and MOVE. I hate feeling stuck. I also hate seeing others feel stuck. We should never stop finding ways to move forward and we should always help others move as well. Step 1: find your inner kid and amplify their ideas. Step 2: make friends with another inner kid and take over the world.

It’s currently Sunday afternoon and my stomach is starting to ache. It’s not about a looming work week or the chores on my to-do list. I found my new thing to try and I’m starting it tomorrow. I know that if I can push myself to keep trying, another big grin is right around the corner. What are you gonna try next?

See you out there!

-MM