The Second Time.

I would like to challenge you today. How many times have we heard ‘the first step is the hardest’? 

Let’s go on a journey of steps today.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Lao hit the nail on the head with this one. After all, how many steps have you taken since your first? Let’s think broader…in life…

 

A project you want to save for – have you saved the first shilling?

A class you want to attend – have you applied for it?

A book you want to read – have you bought or borrowed it?

I continue?

The person you want to be – have you …?

The spirituality you want to grow – have you …?

I stop at this one…

The book you want to write …have you?

Please add your own challenges….have you taken the first step?

 

Clearly, the quote above can be expanded to include everything beyond the physical.

“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson

I am tempted to mention a story…why resist temptation? Here goes…

Who doesn’t know Walt Disney? If you don’t, at least you know of his work. Our favorite Mouse has been gracing our screens for quite the number of years. As I watch the animations on screen and trace back to how big Disney has become, it inspires me to keep going…keep going just as a clock does…because one day your hour will come…and when it does, it will rain showers of blessings.

I started today’s article by saying that we hear about the first step being the hardest. Let me challenge you to change your thought pattern.

I believe that the second step is the hardest. This is because we have the experience of the first step to reflect on. If the first step goes well, we might become complacent and say, we did it once…we can do it again. Think about an exercise regimen. You binge watch all the clips on YouTube and become so motivated that you run your first 5K. Your adrenaline keeps you going to the end. However, later on, you feel the effects which nobody usually mentions…muscle ache…stiffness…fatigue. I ask you, aren’t you a hero when you do your second 5K with this experience on hand? Because really, you have the option of quitting when it doesn’t turn out the way you wanted it to. For your second step, you are relying on pure resilience.

Think about your first pancake…if it was anything like mine, it was as black as coal and not puffy at all. Trying a second time seems like a waste of time right? The entire time I was making the second pancake, the memory of the first just hung like a dark cloud above my head. It took more determination the second time round!

I could go on and on with various examples, from skill acquisition to personal growth. However, let me stop there and pose a question.

Do you agree that the second step is the hardest?