How to Overcome the Fear of the First Step

Do you have a ton of ideas that never really get from idea to reality?

I bet you are like me, good at getting ideas. Good at reading articles and getting ideas for other articles that you could write. Or maybe when you are looking at apps in the app store, you get all kinds of ideas of new apps you could create. My wife and I, get ideas for children’s books all the time. When one of the kids says a particular fun fraise or invent a new character, we immediately get ideas for a new book.

But do we take action?

Sometimes procrastination gets in the way of getting started. you just want to read one more article to get inspired before starting the work. Or maybe you just want to talk to one more colleague to get the last piece of feedback before doing the presentation. It’s human, everyone does it sometimes.

Procrastination serves a purpose for us, it is “protecting the individual against the fear of failure, judgment by others, and self-condemnation.” (Psychology Today). But it is not very helpful in getting things done.

“You will never plow a field if you only turn it over in your mind.” Irish Proverb

The fear of failing. Or simply the fear of doing the work. You believe that your idea is good but getting from idea to action can be hard. I wanted to write for many years before getting started. I had great ideas for books, research projects, and articles about everything from Project Management to parenting. But I continuously failed to get started.

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Thomas Edison

I can still struggle getting started with new projects or writing articles. The false need for reading just a bit more. Or finding a guide that is just a little better can take hours away from getting started. Researching an article or a subject becomes a week-long engagement that leads to pages of notes, but in the end, there is no motivation to get started. The energy of the first idea is gone.

Learn from Software Development and iterate

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” Confucius

The key is to get started right off the bat. When you think of an idea, then immediately take action. Decide on a general direction and take the first step. Like most other writers I have a catalog of ideas. Headlines. And sometimes headlines and a few bullet points. And that is one of the keys for me. It is not enough to have a headline or an idea, you need to start building a skeleton for that idea as quickly as you can.

Don’t be afraid to make an awful mock-up

“Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.” W. Clement Stone

It does not matter what kind of idea you have or what you are trying to accomplish. Building the first version can often be done in just a few hours. A new App can be built on paper, a new product can be folded on cardboard.

Anything that gives you some sort of mock-up or pretotype that you can test with a couple of friends or just play with yourself. That first mock-up will often give you more ideas and feedback than any reading or initial research will ever bring you.

Break it down and take the first step

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” Mark Twain

Having a great idea and bringing it to reality can be a daunting task. Maybe you want to create a new company that offers online training courses. Or you want to build a new app that can help children learn to read. It doesn’t matter what your idea is or how big a project it is, what is important is how you break it down. To get started, think about the first small thing you can accomplish to get moving?

Take consistent action

“Consistency beats complexity” my personal trainer

Taking action is the point of this article. I am sure you got that by now since I keep repeating myself. One of the popular fraises is “taking massive action”. That will definitely get you going. Most importantly, though, is to take consistent action.

Set yourself up to take action every day! Nick Wignall describes a great tool, the Seinfeld strategy, to build a daily routine of activities. You can use it for anything