Starting something new

This newsletter is not here to tell anybody what stress is, as it can be different for each and everyone of us. Some people find one thing stressful, while another person might find the same stress enjoyable and motivating.

What the readers can find during these weekly newsletters, will be a combination of personal experiences of stressful situations which have been overcome as well as tips and, ideas found from various books. Shared with you, so you may be able to take them to help manage and, overcome your own daily stresses. Rest assured, these are going to be more bite sized newsletters, easily digested and simple to apply.

Even though you may see in my Profile, I am ex Army, you will not come across any stories of how I managed the stressful experiences during this time. Not for any reason, other than I believe they are so far removed from people who have not experienced similar situations themselves and, do not apply to their daily stress.

Instead, like this first newsletter you are reading today. The topic is going to focus more on something we can all relate to, starting something new.

If it is something completely new, I can go one of two ways. Firstly, it might be so overwhelming, I may just put it off and off, until a different task distracts me. Or, I get so excited by it, I am all in and go at it 100 mph.

In both scenarios, the thing which I have found to help me get the best results. Is have an idea of what it is you want to do, spend some time making a plan and then actually just get started. Similar to the book by Rob Moore, Start Now Get Perfect Later (2018, p. 18) you can not always wait for the ducks to align, yet can only connect the dots by looking backwards. The second part of the sentence, Rob uses a quote from Steve Jobs, who I think went on to do alright for himself.

In short, the message is, do not put off starting something because you are waiting for the perfect moment. This will leave you waiting forever, so just get started and understand perfect will only come from practice. Although, remember, you need to look backwards from time to time, to ensure you are not making the same mistakes. Insanity is doing the same thing, and expecting different results, Albert Einstein.

My personal experience of this, was when I started my degree in 2017 at the age of 33. Where, sat in a finance lecture, the feeling of not getting to grips with the subject was washing over me, like cold sea water. "Oh forget this, I am off and will just come back next week!" This was my initial thought, as I was well out of my comfort zone and also surrounded by 18 year olds who seemed to be understanding the subject with ease.

Instead, there was an inner voice, my voice, saying to me. "Yea, leave, walk out. This will be really useful, not being in the classroom is a sure way to get your head around a new subject and, finishing your degree is a certainty! Oh wait, no! This is a sure fire way of failing your degree, not learning anything new and will certainly lead to nothing changing in your life!!" So instead, I overcame the stressful situation, by going out for the break and came back a lot more relaxed. This was unfortunately not the only time I had to have a word with myself during the three years, of my degree or the twelve months studying for my Masters. Although I will tell you this, the conversations became easier to have, I staid to ask questions and got through it all in the end.

What are you currently doing, where you have had to have similar conversations with yourself, or should be having them and just put it off? Please, do not ignore these types of internal dialogues. Feel free to leave comments of how you cope in similar situations, the tips may help somebody else to get out of their own way and, go on to produce something amazing.

Thank you for taking the time to read this first newsletter, I hope you have found it interesting, useful and helps you in a positive way. Please share with your contacts if you have and, the second one will follow next week. For now, take of yourself and remember, starting is more often than not the hardest thing.