Why Is Starting Anything New So Damn Hard?

In an age when everything is online and it constantly feels like we’re missing out on something, starting anything new somehow feels harder and harder. So… why is starting anything new so difficult?!

I’ve been procrastinating on starting this blog for months. And now that I’m finally writing it, I’m still struggling to concentrate and put my thoughts on “paper.” Which made me think: Well, there’s my first topic.

Why is it so easy to think about starting and so damn hard to actually start?

1. Motivation — or the lack of it

If you’re anything like me, you can know perfectly well that something should be done and still have absolutely no desire to do it.

I can analyze it. I can know exactly what steps I should take and how much energy I should put into it. I can probably create a beautiful project plan for it. None of that changes the fact that if I don’t feel like doing it, there there might be no force in this world that could motivate me quite as effectively as the pressure of an approaching deadline.

Suddenly, something I had weeks to do becomes completely possible in three hours.

I think that might actually be one of the skills that made me a great project manager… and such a horrible blogger. 😉

In the corporate world, there are deadlines and expectations. Someone is waiting for something. And, most importantly, there are consequences for not taking action.

But when you're starting something for yourself? Nobody is waiting. Nobody is asking where it is. There are no immediate consequences for doing nothing. There might be disappointment, but that comes later… For now, we know that tomorrow exists. And apparently, my brain LOVES tomorrow.

I’m starting to wonder whether motivation is really the problem.

Sometimes we’re waiting to feel like doing something when what we actually need is a reason that matters enough to begin. And sometimes even when the reason matters deeply, something else is getting in the way.

2. Excuses — I have approximately one million

I can give you a million reasons why I should or shouldn’t do something. From something as simple as I don’t feel like it to something as ridiculous as the light in the room isn’t right.

And many, many more…

The funny thing is that excuses rarely sound like excuses when we’re making them. They sound completely reasonable.

• Of course I’m tired.

• Of course I’ve had a long day.

• Of course the lighting matters!

And sometimes those reasons are completely legitimate. But sometimes they are covering something else.

FEAR. JUDGMENT. UNCERTAINTY.

• Fear that we won't be good at it.

• Fear of what other people might think.

• Fear that the reality won't live up to the version we've created in our heads.

• Fear that we might make the wrong decision.

Or maybe even fear that we’ll succeed — and then have to figure out what comes after that.

I bet at least a few of you are feeling my pain right now.

So perhaps the more useful question isn’t: “Why am I making excuses?”

Maybe it’s: “What is underneath them?”

Because if I understand what I’m actually avoiding, I have something real to work with.

3. Procrastination — our favourite hiding place

Don’t we all love procrastinating? It fits perfectly into the excuse list because procrastination is incredibly easy when there’s no real deadline.

• I have time.

• I’ll do it later.

• I’m not ready yet.

• I don’t have to do it today.

And “later” feels safe because later doesn’t require anything from us right now.

Starting does. Starting means moving from thinking about something to actually doing it. Once we start, there’s suddenly something real in front of us. Something that can be judged. Something that might not be as good as we imagined it would be. As long as the idea stays in our heads, it can be perfect.

• The business can be amazing.

• The book can be brilliant.

• The new career can change our lives.

• The blog can be insightful, funny and beautifully written.

But the moment we start, we have to confront the possibility that the first version might actually… suck. And maybe that’s one of the biggest reasons starting is so difficult.

Thinking protects possibility. Starting introduces reality.

And reality is messy.

4. We think we need to be ready

There’s another trap I fall into all the time: believing that I need to feel ready before I start.

• I need motivation.

• I need energy.

• I need clarity.

• I need the right environment.

• I need to know exactly where this is going.

But lately I’ve been questioning that assumption.

What if readiness doesn’t come before starting?

What if some of it comes because we started?

Maybe motivation isn’t always the thing that gets us moving. Maybe sometimes we have to move first — badly, imperfectly and without knowing exactly where we’ll end up — and allow motivation and clarity to catch up.

That doesn’t mean blindly pushing ourselves forward.

Sometimes hesitation contains useful information.

Maybe something genuinely doesn’t fit. Maybe the timing is wrong. Maybe we’re trying to pursue something because it looks impressive rather than because we actually want it. And maybe we are simply scared.

Those are very different things.

The goal isn’t to bulldoze through every hesitation. The goal is to understand what is underneath it.

From zero to one

I think we often make starting much bigger than it needs to be. We imagine the finished business instead of opening the document. The new career instead of having one conversation. Being fit instead of going for one walk. The completed book instead of writing one paragraph. And when we look at the whole thing at once, of course it feels overwhelming.

So whatever you’ve been saying you’ll start “one day,” maybe you don’t need the entire path figured out yet.

• Write one paragraph.

• Make one phone call.

• Open the document.

• Sign up for the class.

• Ask the question.

• Take one step that makes the idea slightly more real than it was yesterday.

And before you push yourself to do it, ask: What is actually making this difficult to start?

• Is it lack of interest?

• Fear?

• Perfectionism?

• Someone else’s expectations?

• Uncertainty?

• Or are you waiting for a level of confidence that can only come from doing the thing?

The answer matters. Because sometimes procrastination is not simply a problem to fix. Sometimes it’s information. And once we understand what is underneath the stuckness, we can decide what to do with it.

Maybe we start.

Maybe we change direction.

Maybe we decide it isn’t actually what we want.

But at least we’re making that decision consciously rather than living indefinitely in “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

As for me?

Apparently, starting a blog about procrastination while actively procrastinating on the blog was exactly how I finally started mine. 😉