If you’ve been waiting to start something new and you’re looking for a sign that it’s the right time to start. News flash: This is Your Sign to Start.
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Timeless Wisdom for a Thriving Today
Twenty centuries ago, the Roman-era Stoic philosopher Seneca joked that the one thing fools all have in common is that they are always getting ready to start.
And isn’t it the truth? How many things have you not started yet because you’re just not ready? Or you’re waiting for the right time?
According to a study, 92 percent of people who set New Year’s resolutions never actually achieve them. So That leaves 8 percent of people who actually make the attempt to achieve their goals.
So why are we all sitting around WAITING to start?
It’s the big P word of course. Procrastination.
Procrastination is a huge epidemic that people honestly aren’t talking enough about. Seneca also said, “ It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.”
And he said that twenty centuries ago! Meaning, that he thought people were wasting their time even back when there was no opportunity to doom scroll on TikTok or the ability to sit down and watch Netflix!
That means that that before TV, before Phones, before electricity, people were wasting their time not starting the things that they wanted to do.
So why do we do this to ourselves? Well, I think the best way to sum it up can be confirmed by the number one thing that people complain about on their death bed.. which is:
“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
And this is the EXACT reason that we procrastinate on anything in life.
Fear of Judgment: This is Your Sign to Start
The fear of looking bad in front of others. Whether it’s family, friends, complete strangers on the internet. We worry about failing . We worry about looking stupid and we worry that no one will like us.
Here’s an example in my own life that I want to share with you that I shared with a friend of mine at a business conference recently. She was thinking about starting a podcast because she helps people recover from trauma in their lives. But in order to really help people with this problem, it would mean she would have to share a lot about her own trauma in the podcast, and that might ruffle the feathers of some people who are close to her.
Now some of you might know that I also have a podcast that you can still listen to, it’s called The Celebration Effect. And it is all about celebrating your life fully from the inside out. It talks a lot about the law of attraction and mindset practices and things of that nature. I haven’t recorded anything new in a long time because my business shifted a while back and I started teaching women to make money online, but I still have that podcast up if you want to take a listen.
Anyway, what I told her was that when I first started that podcast, The Celebration Effect, I was really worried because I grew up in a very religious household. And I knew that talking about spiritual things like laws of the universe might not sit well with a few people in my family. So I was worried about what they would think about that. I was convinced that after I hit publish on that first episode it was NOT going to be good.
Now what happened was that not only do those people not listen to my podcast at all, but I don’t think that they care all that much. And even if they do, they haven’t said anything and all has been fine. Now I realize there could have been a very different ending to that and they could have been really upset with me and approached me about it.
But what I realized during that time was “Who am I living my life for?” I think a lot of us don’t do certain things because we’re nervous about what our parents are going to think, right? Maybe this is you. And as someone who has lost a parent, I can tell you that your parent moves on into another realm and you are still here living your life. And what you’re left with is the choices that you’ve made.
Fearless Forward: This is Your Sign to Start
Maybe for you, the thing you haven’t started yet has nothing to do with how you are perceived by your parents. So you might be sitting there thinking, Lindsay, this is irrelevant to me. I am not procrastinating because I’m worried about what my parents will think. So then let me ask you this? Are you not starting because you’re scared it might not work out the way that you want it to?
What happens if that’s the case? If you fail at something, you look like an idiot, right? So I teach women how to sell printables on Etsy and people don’t want to start because what if they can’t make a single sale? OMG so embarrassing. I didn’t make a sale.
I remember thinking this a few years ago when I decided to make a Holiday banner box. I used to make party decorations, so I had this idea that I was going to make these really beautiful holiday banners for every holiday in Q4 – Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. So I made the announcement about it on my social media, and I was terrified that people were going to find out that I didn’t make any sales.
It turns out I did make a few sales, not as many as I wanted, but what I realized in that moment was that people are so caught up in their own lives they aren’t sitting there watching what I’m doing. They don’t care. They’re so worried about themselves.
And what I have actually found time and again is that people don’t actually judge me for doing the things that I fail at. But I get a ton of DMs and a ton of emails from people who WISH that they had the courage to do some of the things that I do.
And that’s because I have learned that when I want to do something, I just do it. I just started.
The Power of Starting and Embracing the Possibility of Failure
When we procrastinate, it’s the ultimate form of self-sabotage. If we don’t DO the thing that we want to do, then we don’t have the possibility of failing at that thing, and therefore, we don’t look bad in front of others. Our parents, our friends, our colleagues, our community, strangers on the internet.
Now, is this a whole talk about how you shouldn’t worry about what others think? No. Because I still care. Unfortunately. I’m STILL worried about the negative comments I’m going to get. I still have all the fears. But the difference is, I started anyway. I do it anyway. And hope that you take This is Your Sign to Start (whatever it is you want to start).
Starting is the key. Don’t be the 92% of people who don’t stat. Because remember you either win or you learn. You either get the thing that you wanted or the lesson that you’re supposed to learn right.
Don’t be like me and take that This is Your Sign to Start. I love to help you celebrate life through printables and personal development! But above all, I’d love to connect with you. Reach out to me on Instagram, and let’s chat.
xoxo, Lindsay
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