We typically see these posts in the days following the new year. The new year is the PERFECT time to start something, well, new. It’s like we are waiting for that perfect time, that perfect moment to start something we have probably been thinking about for awhile now.
But why are we waiting? And what are we waiting for?
It’s a “start” not an “end”
When we start something, it’s usually something we have planned in our minds for awhile now. Sometimes we plan for days, weeks, months, or even years before we finally work up the courage to start. And when we finally do work up the courage to start something new, it seems that everyone always want that time to be the perfect time. We need to start at the beginning of a new year. Or maybe a new month. Or how many of you are guilty of waiting until Monday!? I know I certainly am.
But let’s just think about it for a moment. Starting anything is just that, it’s a start. It’s not an end! When we start something new it’s not meant to be perfect.
- You won’t have all the knowledge right away
- You might not feel ready
- You won’t be the best at it just yet
And that’s ok! Just START and get better as you go! When you start something, it doesn’t have to be the finished product.
No one is ever going to master something the first time they do it! If you’ve been following my site, then chances are you’re probably looking to get wealthier, healthier and happier. But if you are just starting these things, or even if you are in the middle of them, then you are not going to be perfect at them day 1!
It takes time to be great
When we start a new habit, it takes time to master that habit. Looking to build wealth? Unless you win the lottery, it probably wont happen overnight. You will make some mistakes along the way too. Ask anyone who has ever invested, and they can probably point to at least one “bad” investment decision they made. But that’s why you start small, so you can learn from your mistakes.
Looking to start getting healthy? Great! But just know that there isn’t a magic pill that’s going to transform your physical and mental health with the flip of a switch! (Although the health industry is certainly doing their best to make us think there is!) But you are probably going to encounter some failure along the way to becoming healthy.
And don’t worry, I will be sharing all my wealth and health mistakes along the way as well so you know what to avoid!
Put a date on a calendar
I was listening to a motivational video recently and came across something from Spartan Race. If you are not familiar with them, it’s a race combined with obstacles that test you physically and mentally through strength and endurance challenges. In the video they said:
“We got millions of people off the couch, because we put a date on a calendar”.
The key to procrastination is to create a sense of urgency. We have to trick ourselves in believing that our goals NEED to happen NOW. When we put a date on a calendar, it draws a line in the sand. It forces us to be prepared for that day. It creates that sense of urgency to prepare.
How I beat procrastination
For months, I procrastinated on officially launching this site. The main parts of the site had been built for several months now but I kept changing things. Trying so hard to make things “perfect” before I made it available to the world. It wasn’t even important things. I’m talking about font, color schemes, button placements. Things that had absolutely nothing to do with the functionality of the site itself. But something was holding me back.
I kept thinking that if the site wasn’t perfect in every way, shape and form, if every little detail wasn’t just right, that the site would fail. So what did I do? You probably guessed it. I put a date on a calendar! In late April, I decided enough was enough. I can either keep procrastinating, or I can put a date on a calendar and launch it regardless if I’m ready or not! 5/25/25. That’s the date I chose. Now, partly because it looked good and was easy to remember. 5 2 5 2 5, hard to forget that 10 years from now. But also because I was sick of waiting. So after months of procrastinating, it was finally putting a date on a calendar that got me to start this site!
It’s not perfect, and you don’t have to be either
So that day came. The site was launched. And guess what? I still didn’t feel like it was ready. But who cares!? Blog posts are rolling, with 100s more in the works, social media is up and running. Everything needed to actually run the site works just fine (I think haha). Now comes the fun part where I get to learn along the way! I can’t be perfect at running a website and a business WITHOUT ACTUALLY DOING IT! No matter how much I tried to prepare, and make sure I was ready, the only thing that will make me better, is doing it each and every day!
I’m going to fail at certain things. I’m going to look back and say what the hell was I thinking when I posted that? Or why did I ever think doing it this way was a good idea? But that’s the beauty of life. We will never know the perfect way until we do it. So if you have been thinking about starting your wealth or health journey, then just do it!
Start TODAY
Starting your health goals
If you want to be healthier, just start right now! You are not all of a sudden going to:
- Lose 50 lbs.
- Gain six pack abs
- Eat clean for every single meal
All of those things take time. So start small and start SOMETHING. It can be as easy as parking in the back of the parking lot at work instead of looking for the closest spot. Those extra steps definitely add up! Start taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Wake up and do 5 push ups before you start the day. If you eat out for every meal, start making just 1 meal a day at home.
You can even start smaller! Start by researching recipes for healthy meals that sound good and easy to you! Seriously! That’s a start! You can’t start cooking all your meals at home if you have no idea what to make! (I’ll have plenty of these cheap, healthy & easy meals in future posts too!)
Starting your wealth goals
Thinking about starting your wealth goals and want to save more and invest? Start right now! Start by going through your monthly subscriptions and pick JUST ONE thing you can cancel. Don’t have anything you say? C’mon that’s just an excuse! EVERYONE has SOMETHING they can get rid of from their monthly expenses. I’ll even do it with you. 1 moment while I go cancel a subscription…
Back! Just canceled my Hulu subscription! It was only $2.26 /month, but was something I haven’t used in several months now, so I had no business keeping it! Also, like most subscriptions, they certainly didn’t make it easy to cancel. For those of you that are interested, you have to do it from the website and not the app. They then made me go through a series of prompts asking me if I’m sure I want to cancel. Yes, I’m sure! Why is it usually 1 click to subscribe but you have to jump through hoops to cancel? Because the harder it is to cancel, the more money these companies stand to make!
If you want some more money goals you can do right now, start by tracking your expenses and making a budget. I know, that seems to difficult to some of you. But seriously, how can you know how much you have to invest if you have no clue how much you are spending? It’ doesn’t have to be in depth, just start with tracking expenses for TODAY. Then you will start to know how much you can set aside to save and eventually invest!
Another really easy goal is just start to think about where you can save. Remember, letting go of the excuses and changing your mindset is the first step for anything! Just start putting the idea in your mind that you need to save and invest.
Final Thoughts
Stop waiting for perfect. Stop waiting for Monday, the first of the month or the start of a new year. The perfect time to start will always be a lie we tell ourselves when we’re scared to begin. But the truth is, you learn by doing. You grow by trying. And yes, you fail along the way, but that’s part of the journey too.
Whether it’s your health, your finances, or launching that thing you’ve had on your mind for way too long, start messy. Start unsure. Start even if it’s not perfect. But just start. That’s what matters most.
And hey, if you’re reading this and thinking, “Yeah, but I’m still not ready,” then do this one thing: put a date on the calendar. Make it real. Draw the line in the sand. That’s how we create urgency. That’s how we finally move.
Remember, it’s not about being perfect, it’s about being in motion. You don’t need all the answers. You just need action. So think of today as a New Year because the new you starts NOW!
Let me know in the comments below: What have you been putting off? What will you start today!?
