Starting Over (and over and over)

posted 12th July 2011    Written by: Molly Mahar    CATEGORY: Inspiration, Life Lesson, Molly

Each day is a chance to start over.

Each moment is an opportunity to bring yourself into the present moment, releasing the anger about the past or the anxiety about the future.  Each new sunrise gives you the openness of a new day, a day you can deliberately choose to live in support of your dreams or not.

You have a choice.  Today is offering itself up to YOU.

That thing you keep talking about doing or being… It doesn’t have to be big.  It doesn’t have to be world changing. It doesn’t have to matter to anyone but you.

But you do need to do it.

Now.

It doesn’t matter to me if you didn’t start yesterday.  I don’t care if you’ve been thinking about it for years without doing anything about it.  Those choices to put it off?  They are in the past.

You can make a different choice today.  It’s completely within your power, gorgeous.

Maybe it feels like you’ve already started?  You’ve read a dozen books, talked to several experts, and immersed yourself in the peripheral culture.   All that preparation is not the same as action.  Gathering inspiration and knowledge is vital, but when you’re using it to procrastinate or as a protective shield, it’s not helping you one bit.

If you’re feeling paralyzed or overwhelmed, stop preparing.  Start doing.  Begin being.

Action can arm you with just as much clarity as thought.

Want to meditate?  Awesome.  Get your butt on a cushion with an egg timer.  Like now.

Want to be kinder towards your family?  Great.  Think of one action you can do immediately and do it.  Write a letter of forgiveness?  Skip cleaning the kitchen and have a special date with one of your kids this morning?  Send your mom a goofy present in the mail?

Want to start an Etsy shop?  Rockin’.  Take the first step. Whether that’s opening your account, photographing your art, or coming up with an name for your crafty genius- take one small action now.

Start over today.  And then start over again tomorrow.

Once you create a little momentum, you can plot and develop and set some juicy goals and recruit accountability. I’m still a big fan of all those supportive methods of sustaining a big dream.

I also realize that we can get overwhelmed by all that planning and never actually START.

(Insert me giving you a huge bear hug, looking you straight in the eyes, and asking you, “Honey- what do you want to do TODAY?  Let’s do it.  Let’s blow off some plans or work or cleaning the closet and start something.  I’m so, so in.”)

I’m feeling intimately familiar with this concept of starting over, as I’ve landed in a new city, with a new apartment, new schedule (hello early mornings!), and new family responsibilities.  I’m trying my best to craft supportive days for my business, my sanity, my art, my playfulness.

Some days I’ve failed.  Some days I’ve rocked it.

It’s this beginner mindset–this realization that each day is brand new–that is really helping me.

So what if I threw myself a little pity party yesterday because I miss my familiar city and my pals?  Today, I can embrace the adventure of a new neighborhood by hopping on my bike and meeting my banker.   So what if I haven’t actually gone swimming in that huge pool two blocks away?  Today,  I can break out my goggles and dive in.

Literally.

What are you going to dive into today? What are you going to start?  I’d love to hear.

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Comments (9)

9 Responses to “Starting Over (and over and over)”

  • Courtney Elizabeth Says:
    July 12th, 2011 at 8:35 am

    i love this! as a perfectionist, and one who is risk-averse at that, i spend a lot of time "waiting", "preparing", "figuring out". time for me to just dive in!

  • carly Says:
    July 12th, 2011 at 8:36 am

    Thanks for this post, it comes at an opportune time cause I'm feeling in a rut and don't wanna get hung up on the past/anxiety for future.

  • Cait Says:
    July 12th, 2011 at 10:19 am

    I definitely needed to read this today. I can be terrible at diving in and the queen of worrying about the past and future. Today I'm starting back on developing a healthy lifestyle – eating good foods, exercising, and spending my days being productive (whether that's journaling, reading, or job searching). And I know I'm simply going to have to take it one day at a time.

  • Angela C. Says:
    July 12th, 2011 at 11:18 am

    "If you’re feeling paralyzed or overwhelmed, stop preparing. Start doing. Begin being."

    So often we mistake preparation for action. There is always more to learn… more to prep… but if we get too hung up on knowing everything and figuring it all out first, we'll never get to the good stuff!! Great mentality – start today! Start now!

    Angela :) http://www.habitformingsuccess.com

  • Julie Says:
    July 12th, 2011 at 11:34 am

    I'm definitely better at "researching", "comparing" and "dreaming" – time to DO SOMETHING!! Thanks for the nudge ;)

  • Alisha Says:
    July 12th, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    sooo needed ot read this this afternoon. i started out the morning really high and this afternoon has been a little lackluster. now making a choice to make it better.

  • Rebecca Says:
    July 12th, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    Molly, this is so true.

    And, as a bonus, I find that action begets action. The little step suddenly becomes two. and four. and 20.

    This is something I needed a reminder of. And, I am going to break out my goggles and go swimming today. Its been far too long since I have been to the pool, exactly two blocks away.

  • Uncovering Loneliness | Stratejoy | Conquer Your Quarterlife Crisis through Fresh Strategies for Real Joy Says:
    July 15th, 2011 at 8:04 am

    [...] Starting over is scary.  Though I never thought I’d ever start my life over in Australia, I certainly don’t regret this decision.  This country has changed my life.  But I think that honeymoon phase of being here is officially over and now I need to start digging deep and working through this loneliness and the other emotional affects of living abroad. [...]

  • amysjoy Says:
    July 28th, 2011 at 10:47 pm

    Oh God, Molly, this is awesome! I've been feeling a need to incorporate a lot of this JUST DO IT attitude in my own life with my writing and making friends and being generally awesome. And you know, it's such a great feeling to JUST *DO IT*, already, you know? I want to write every day? I'm just effing DOING IT. It's awesome.

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