Nothing Happens Until You Start

In the previous blog post, I talked about not letting fear determine your present and future. Today, I’d like to take this a step further and look at the power of starting.

Starting has been on my mind over the last week for several reasons.

1. The recently concluded October series on Learning Wednesday webinars

This series pushed me to another level unexpectedly. It also helped me reflect on the journey I’ve been on since I left employment in 2007 to venture into entrepreneurship.

We explored the wins, losses, and growth…and it’s truly been a journey!

2. It’s time for my annual planning

I normally do my annual planning in November so December is a breeze. So, I’m reflecting on all areas of my life and doing a self-evaluation before creating my next 3-year plan. I work with 3 year planning and I’m wrapping up the 2021 to 2023 plan.

3. I finally got started on my personal blog carolinegikonyo.com

I purchased the domain 2 years ago and allowed fear and self-doubt to stop me from setting up the blog.

Even as I thought about doing this quarter, I was tempted to wait until next year. But I knew that was just procrastination talking because I had put it off for years!

So slightly over 2 weeks ago, I decided not to wait anymore and set up the blog. I also set a goal to do a blog post every day until the end of the year (72 posts) and got to work.

The blog is now up and has the main pages (Home, About Me, Blog, Contact).
I set up a mailing list on Convertkit and have subscribers.
There are 15 published articles and one more will be added this evening. I didn’t know I could write and publish a blog post daily. Clearly, I was seriously underperforming!

4. GROW is monetized with live events

GROW is a membership that I’ve dreamt of having in place for years. I tested different options since 2020, but none worked…until one did.

GROW started as a virtual library with recordings of Learning Wednesday teleclasses and webinars. In October, I took it a step higher and added a monthly personal growth class and weekly lunchtime meetups.

We’ve had 2 weekly meetups that followed the same system I used with Brown Bag in 2020. I also hosted the first monthly class on Thursday last week titled A 7-Step Process That Will Help You Recover After You’ve Failed.

When I look back at these and other results, one thing stands out.

Nothing happens until you start!

You can talk about what you want, set goals, and create action plans, but nothing moves forward until you take the first step.

Additionally, starting is not the end. It’s a beginning. Nothing gets achieved until you keep moving forward.

And before you ask about creating a plan…

Planning is good. It helps give you a destination that work towards.

Unfortunately, many times people plan and don’t start. Or you plan, start, hit roadblocks, and stop. Even worse is when you hit a roadblock and detour or regress.

It’s also easy to get stuck on endless planning, especially for perfectionists!

That was me with my personal blog which I wanted to be perfect. However, the moment I decided that it had to go live this year, the planning ended, and the blog was up in 2 days…with 4 pages and 2 blog posts published!

Writing on the blog has also helped me start working on another goal which is to publish 2 books within the next 2 years. The more I write on the blog, the more motivated I am to write the first book and the draft is now over 25,000 words.

As you can see from my results and challenges, starting is a key to success that many people underestimate.

When you look back at what this year has been for you…

Are there plans you made but didn’t make any effort to start working on them?
Do you have plans you started working on and stopped for whatever reason? Maybe you hit a roadblock, got busy with work/business/life, or you simply lost motivation and momentum.
Are there plans you worked on and then detoured or regressed back?
And are there others that you fought for? You have diligently made your way through the path, and find solutions or workarounds when you hit roadblocks.

Life is full of surprises, and we never know what will come ahead.

We can plan, and start moving, but then anything can happen to stop us in our tracks. That’s just how life is.

But you can’t let that be the reason why you aren’t taking action on your plans. As a popular saying goes, “A half-baked plan that’s executed is more effective than a well-thought-out plan that is not executed.”

My challenge to you today

I want to challenge you not to give up your goals and wait for the New Year to start again.

Pick one goal that you really would love to move the needle on before the end of the year.

Then create a simple 3-step action plan that has:

The result you want to have by the end of this year. Don’t shoot for the moon…just come up with a simple target.
A middle point milestone and time that is between today and the end of the year. Again, make it simple.
Your first step: This is what you will do today or within the next 24 hours to get started on this goal.

Move beyond planning

Creating a plan is great. And remember that planning is the beginning. You need to act on your plan each day.

At the end of the day, evaluate your progress and decide the action step for the next day.

You also need to celebrate progress and achievements at the end of each week. This doesn’t have to be something big. Even patting yourself on the back and saying something like, “Congratulations Caroline! You’ve done great this week!” is enough.

Rinse and repeat this process until the end of the year, or until you take a break for Christmas.

At the end of the year, remember to celebrate your progress on this goal. It doesn’t matter how far you’ve gone with the goal. You definitely wouldn’t be that far if you had waited to start in the New Year!

Finally, work this goal into your plan for the next year. Then create the 3-step action plan for it in January and repeat this process again.

This simple process will help you get unstuck and get moving on a goal you had set aside because it feels as if you cannot do anything about it since the year is almost gone.

And by taking action, you will have something to celebrate at the end of this year instead of beating yourself up for one more year gone with nothing done about this goal.

As I said earlier, nothing happens until you start.

Start.

Plan.

Move.

Review results.

Recalibrate your plan.

Keep moving.

And should life hit you hard in a way that creates a big obstacle, remember that it’s OK to slow down or pause for a little bit. Then when you’re ready, come back and read this blog post to give yourself a kickstart on your most desired goal for the year.

If you can keep to this simple plan, you will find that you’ll have moved the needle on one goal that is meaningful to you.

That will motivate you and also give you an empowering feeling. Your confidence will increase and you may just find that you’ve surprised yourself by what you will achieve by the end of the year!

I’d also love to hear from you so feel free to share your thoughts or experiences in the Comments below.

And, if you need further support, read on to find out how my team and I can help you.

(Image credit: Unsplash)

Here are some ways I can help you get unstuck and move on to your most desired goals

1. Sign up for The Clarity Blueprint which is a FREE 5-day email course

In this email course, I share the 5 biggest mistakes high-achieving women make while pursuing success. When you make these mistakes, you are likely to get stuck and lose confidence.

I also share some simple fixes you can use to get unstuck and find clarity even if you have already made one or more of these mistakes.

Click here to get access to The Clarity Blueprint.

2. Join my Community

The journey up the success ladder can be lonely. But you don’t have to go it alone. That is why I have set up Nawiri Community which is made up of high-achieving women who want community, support and accountability from like-minded women.

We have different activities that allow us to connect and grow together including:

Monthly Learning Wednesday webinars where experts come to teach us personal, professional, and financial growth strategies.
Monthly virtual meetups where members connect and share experiences as we implement what we’re learning in the monthly class.
Quarterly half-day meetups in Nairobi for additional learning and connection.
An annual 3-day retreat in November to learn, connect, evaluate the year, celebrate milestones achieved, and plan for the next year.

Email me to get more info when Nawiri Community opens for new members.

3. Sign up for the Break Free, Live Your Life Coaching Program

Do you long for a life where your achievements are not just success stories but also reflections of your true passions? Are you eager to embrace a future filled with purpose, fulfillment, and unwavering confidence?

If these traits describe your aspirations, then Break Free, Live Your Life is tailored precisely for women just like you.

This is a 5-month transformational life coaching program for women who are already successful but are feeling stuck and unfulfilled despite being successful.

It’s also for you if you’ve been wondering how you can align your Purpose with what you do, and find greater meaning in life.

Through this transformative journey, you will:

Get deep insights into your life’s purpose, values, and goals.
Identify and align what matters most to you with your goals.
Craft a clear, actionable plan that aligns your life and work with your newfound clarity.
Start implementing your action plan within the program.
Identify and work on beliefs and habits that work against your overall wellness and happiness.
Get unstuck, gain confidence, and boldly move towards your next level.

You’ll also find support, guidance, and a community of like-minded women. This is an invaluable bonus as you work on your growth.

Break Free is also available on a 1-1 basis where the program is tailor-made for you. This is a good option if you’re in a leadership position as you get to learn how to lead your team by coaching instead of managing them.

Click here to book a Discovery Call to find out more about the Break Free program.