Just Get Started! — Lionesses of Africa

by Nontobeko Mbuyane

We all have big dreams, big goals, and big ideas on what we think our life should look like, or how we think life will end up. Some of us meticulously plan out our lives, envisioning and letting ourselves daydream as we think about all the stuff we would love to accomplish. The problem is, a lot of us have trouble reaching the potential we have set for ourselves. Time kind of flies by, and we end up looking back and wondering what went wrong. Well, one reason stands out like a sore thumb: We never really get started doing the things we truly want to do.

We’re all guilty of it, and that includes me. I have thought of so many ideas or things I wanted to try and do over the years. How many did I actually do? Far less than the dozens of ideas I had actually, let’s just say the ratio isn’t exactly working in my favour. Now, as time has gone by, I have been able to explore some of them. But as you know, some of them got shelved for good. I probably don’t even remember half of the things I wanted to try and never did. The question is, why did I not try? What was the reasoning behind it? Why did I lack the forward sign necessary to at least try something and see if it works? I, like you, am fully aware that not everything we do will end up being a calling in life. But you won’t know until you give it a shot.

To help you better understand this idea pertaining to a lack of motion, one must take a step back and realize that life, in a very big nutshell, is a series of decisions and actions. These two components are crucial for our self-growth and success in life and unfortunately are not mutually exclusive. What I know is that without making a decision and following it up with action, we could spend our entire lives stuck in the exact same place. If you make a decision but don’t take any action, not much will happen.

Make Moves

Being stuck in the same place or floating around aimlessly is honestly a nightmare and a lot of people must be living real-life nightmares. I had to wake up from my own years ago. Good or bad, where you are in life at this very moment is a reflection of all the past choices you have made. Some of us will read this and smile, maybe even give ourselves a little nod of appreciation if it’s good. On the other hand, a number of us will probably have a hard time digesting it. If you are not quite where you thought you would be, I’d like to start by just saying that it’s perfectly okay. Most of us aren’t really where we thought we would be, and we are still giving it our best shot.

There are generally two reasons you are not at your “ideal” place. A small chance is that life gave you an obstacle course with things completely out of your control, in other words, life got in the way temporarily. But there’s a bigger possibility you are not where you thought you would be because you just flat out didn’t pursue something, and it was likely out of fear that you didn’t pursue it. In other words, you didn’t really ever get started. Sadly, you never got started, and now you’ve wasted some valuable time moving toward your goals. Your life isn’t really playing out like you thought it would, and you feel somewhat stuck with your current habits, lifestyle, relationships, career, and other things. However, what is good is that despite feeling like you are stuck, you still have the ability to create the life you want, but it requires you to make moves. And while you may have fallen short previously, it doesn’t mean you will fall short going forward. You should know that your past does not dictate your future. Your past habits and lifestyle do not have to determine your lot in life.

Self- Doubt and Fear

Self-doubt and fear are the two biggest barriers in our journey to make moves. Also, pure overwhelm, this is seeing where you are and looking where you want to go, it just leaves you frustrated. I know for sure how much of a failure seeing where you currently are might make you feel but just make sure you’re moving forward. And what is nice about that moving forward is that, the actions you take, can be extremely small and still produce positive results, it’s really important to realize one big thing: your collection of small steps equals big results. This has what has kept me level headed whenever I am doing big life projects. I always tell myself that life rewards those who take consistent, measurable action, while enjoying a dose of patience and commitment.

Most people have an idea of some higher-level goals they’d love to accomplish in their lives. But a few things are happening in your favour. I might not know so many things in life but all I know is that the universe is here to help you in your dreams and desires if you let it. All you need to do is have that desire to take a step forward in your life, add a bit of patience and commitment and honest you will realize how those small moves forward make a big change in the long run. Believe me, I am a testimony to this, I live my life making small moves.

All I need you to know is that you are not stuck in life. You are capable of making a lot of power moves. The key is just getting started.