The 1159: Just Start. Keep Going.

Good afternoon! Happy Tuesday 🙃

I cannot believe how fast this last week has flown by. Is it just me??

I got back into town and hit the ground running Monday morning with EXCITING new developments that I’ll hopefully be able to share about in a couple of months.

In the meantime, I’m sticking to another long-form email (I’ve thought about doing short and pithy like James Clear… but keep reverting to André Chaperon’s style… do you have any suggestions?? help.)

Alright, well let’s get into it, shall we?

I was wrestling with serious discouragement this past weekend (again) as I conducted market research before growing my small business into a new industry.

There is so much competition (which was surprising to me) and so many people who are doing it better than I am.

I’m serious… I’m, sadly, just NOT the best at marketing and brand strategy out there. There are some BIG players out there who are more efficient, smarter, and far more experienced than I am.

What should I do? And why?

JUST START.

This is NOT always good, or sound advice.

HOWEVER, I’ve been learning that you can’t steer a car that isn’t moving.

(again, this could be taken the wrong way, so hang on as I explain)

We only progress from the point at which we currently rest.

…

Completing grade 11 in high school ONLY comes AFTER completing grade 2 (and the many grades in between).

It’s a progression. It’s a process. It’s a journey.

But it requires action, and for us to begin.

It’s unrealistic to expect an 8-year-old (or at least the VAST majority of 8-year-olds) to complete a college entrance exam without prior training and knowledge (if at all haha).

But it’s funny because we do this thing where we don’t start something until we’re ready (which doesn’t exist FYI) and we shy back from starting because someone else is further along than we are.

It’s as if we put this pressure on ourselves to not start until we’ve completed the journey.

You can’t complete the journey without starting.

You don’t begin the journey from the finish line but from the starting line.

(And listen, I’m not going into shortcuts, mentoring, etc., in this email but yes you can accelerate the process… I’m working on an original email course about that, called The Accelerated Structure Mindset … it’s not ready yet so hang tight).

But the point is… YOU HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE and at SOME TIME.

So why not start NOW, from HERE?

If it’s fear-based, I’d like to encourage you to push through that and defy the fear.

If it’s fact-based (meaning there are legitimate reasons for a delayed start), then seek accountability so that this legitimate reason doesn’t become a crutch and turn into fear-based procrastination later on.

KEEP GOING.

Now that you’ve started, keep going.

Break the journey down into reasonable, measurable, and attainable steps (my business pals call them SMART goals… check it out if you’d like).

Then, LEVERAGE the position you now have, and let that be the momentum that propels you to the next level.

(again, my ASM email course will break this down across 5 emails and REALLY HELP explain the concept. If you’re interested in reading the prerelease, just reply to this email with “ASM” and I’ll add you to the small group of early readers)

“Perseverance is not a long race; it’s many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot

Listen carefully, there is ALWAYS someone better than you.

There is ALWAYS someone smarter than you.

There is ALWAYS someone more successful than you.

Accept it.

But don’t let it weigh you down. Sure, someone else could do it better. But hey, those who are working with you, or hired you, or want to hire you… they want YOU.

You are unique and you offer incredible value because of who you are. NOT because you’re more experienced than Joe in Orlando. (no idea who that is, sorry to the Joes of Orlando)

So don’t let the fact that someone out there is better than you keep you from giving your 100% today.

Keep going.

Keep learning.

Keep growing.

Keep pressing on and just focus on the next step in front of you.

Just start, and then KEEP GOING.

You WILL grow, and you WILL progress.

But you have to put in the effort to START and to keep the wheels turning.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison

“The expert in anything was once a beginner.” – Helen Hayes

Remember the encouragement from last week?

Get back up, learn, apply, share.

Let’s modify it slightly this week:

START, learn, apply, share.

KEEP GOING, learn, apply, share.

REPEAT.

And a little reminder to make you smile as you START and KEEP GOING, no matter how tough…

“Keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life’s a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.” – Marilyn Monroe

You have SO MUCH potential! Get started, and keep going. I’m stoked to see what you accomplish!

You’ve got this!

See you next Tuesday,

-DC