8 things I’ve learnt about how to take the first steps to doing something we’ve wanted to try but never quite been able to from an 8-week blogging challenge
Eight weeks ago, I set myself the challenge of writing eight, weekly blogs. I had thought about writing a blog for over a year but had never mustered the courage to finish a post or to publish it.
What was holding me back was perfectionism, in particular there was a worry of whether what I wrote would be any good or whether anyone would even read or value it. All these thoughts and fears meant I had lost sight of why I wanted to write a blog in the first place or how it contributed to what was important to me and what I could even control, which, besides writing and publishing a blog wasn’t much. The irony was that my motivation behind what I do and why I wanted to blog was to serve others and to help people fulfil their potential so not even writing a blog was the worst attempt at achieving that!
Eight weeks later I had managed eight posts. Below is an outline of what I the process of creating the challenge taught me about starting something we’ve always wanted to do but never have.
1 - Having a clear goal focused on controllable outputs cuts through the procrastination of perfectionism
A big barrier to finishing or sharing a blog post was a fixation on wanting it to be ‘good’. Setting a goal centred around what I could do and control reframed the focus to creating that output. When it came to the goal - 8 weekly blogs - the quantity was challenging enough to achieve that goal that I couldn’t worry about whether it was ‘good’.
Takeaway
Set a goal around something you want to achieve that focuses on an output, something done, rather than the quality of the thing done and commit to doing it regularly enough that is challenging enough that getting it done is the main focus. Focusing on the output focuses on what we control and helps us let go of the outcomes, like being good at whatever we want to do. We all have to start somewhere!
2 - Accountability creates action
If a clear goal created the motivation to act, sharing the goal publicly on LinkedIn created the accountability to follow through. In the same way entering a race can create the accountability to get fit, sharing the goal of 8 weekly posts made the commitment real.
Takeaway
Share your goal or what you want to try with someone else who can hold you accountable or in a way that makes you feel accountable.
3 - Commitment uncovers an openness to ways to achieve our goals
Knowing I was going to write a blog each week I noticed ideas and thoughts coming to mind each week without changing my routines. Ideas would come from routine weekly occurrences, like reading the book I was already reading, in conversations with people day-to-day, including work meetings and even in following rugby.
Takeaway
When we have a clear goal we are committed to we will find ways to fulfil that we wont even think of before we commit to doing it.
4 - Regularity expands our comfort zone
The hardest posts were post two and three, to the point that blog three was a whole blog of me exploring the barriers to fulfilling my personal goal. As the weeks progressed what went from new and exciting to new and challenging became more familiar with a weekly process developing to support me to fulfil the 8 week goal. With a process came a comfort that eight weeks before felt impossible, and with that a newfound confidence to write or act in a space that was previously discomforting and vulnerable.
Takeaway
Small regular steps make the previously uncomfortable unknown more manageable until it becomes our normal and our comfort zones expand
5 - A set time commitment helps manage the discomfort of novelty
While regularity created the consistency to keep going, having a challenging but feasible timeframe meant I knew that I had committed to trying something new but that it wasn’t forever. I knew that the eight weeks was as much an experiment as a commitment and that when I came to the end of the eight weeks I had the choice of whether to continue or not with the confidence that I had given it enough of a go.
Takeaway
When we want to pursue something we’ve always wanted, how can we do it in a way that allows us to try it out without the fear of committing past the point of no return? What is the right amount of commitment so that I feel confident in my next steps?
6 - We are more creative and innovative than we think, accountability can draw that out -
Without a goal to achieve I would never have believed I could think of eight unique blogs to write nor that I could come up with a new idea each week.
Takeaway
We are resourceful and creative beyond our imaginations. With the opportunity or challenge to stimulate our creativity what could we create?
7 - We know when something feels right to us
A routine that often came about after drafting a post was to go for a walk before reviewing it. During that walk I’d often feel a calmness and confidence that convinced me that the post was where I wanted it to be. I’m pretty certain if I hadn’t wanted to keep going with the challenge, if I realised that blogging wasn’t for me I’d have known in the same way I knew it was right. I was grateful for a lot of feedback I received about the blog which rather than validate the process reinforced that intuition.
Takeaway
Deep down, intuitively we know if something we are pursuing is right for us or not. Part of trying something new is taking the time to listen to us to see how it feels for us in a way only we can know.
8 - Allowing space and time creates enjoyment
The times where the challenge has felt most stressful is when I’ve tried to rush or force a post into being when sometimes letting go of trying to write and post in an hour and to give more time to reading and structuring thoughts can make the whole process more enjoyable. In fact, the end result often felt better too. When I was caught up in expectations of when I should post by or how long it should take me it helped to return to the original goal which was about creating posts not creating posts in x amount of time for x day, simply 8 weekly posts.
Takeaway
Returning to the goal and motivation can overcome unhelpful expectations and barriers. Plus, we choose how we want to approach the fulfilling of a goal, that includes allowing ourselves the time to do so.
Getting started on what you’ve always wanted to try and never have
Often the biggest barrier to trying something we’ve always wanted to try is finding where to start.: finding a challenging but manageable commitment that isn’t all or nothing but moves us closer to where we might want to be.
Below are a few questions to help identify what is that first step on the journey to doing something we’ve always wanted but not taken the first steps to doing, and how to take that step.
What is something I’ve always wanted to explore that I’ve never managed to do?
What output over what time can I commit to that excites and challenges me?
What will it feel like to fulfil that commitment?
Who can hold me accountable to that commitment?
What will get in the way of that commitment?
When will I start?
What is possible when I know I have done x?
