Start Now

I’m 100% going to find a way to get this in print form and frame it on the wall near my desk.
Steal Like An Artist - Austin Kleon

I’ve always enjoyed writing. I wouldn’t consider myself an incredible writer by any means. I use Grammarly, Caitlin, and Google to make sure I don’t sound like I’m trying too hard. And finally, I’m most certainly not an avid writer (although I am working on that), but I really enjoy the act of writing. Putting the thoughts in my mind into words has always been therapeutic. I’m an extrovert both externally and internally. My mind is always racing, thinking about something else, something new, something exciting. Unfortunately, for years, I’ve neglected writing - which has, in turn, caused me to lose a lot of those thoughts to the cluster that is my brain.

I don’t say this to sound self-defeating. I’m not into that sort of thing. However, I do struggle with the idea that I have missed out on a lot by not just writing…

But wait, how do you miss out on things that you’ve already lived? Plus, we have incredibly powerful cameras in our pockets - there’s no way you’ve missed the important stuff!

There’s definitely a level of truth behind that. Thanks to technology, we never really have to worry about not being able to capture that special moment in time. We don’t have to worry about missing our child’s first step, or that gorgeous sunrise from some mountain top. We don’t have to worry about showing our partner that new house plant we saw at the garden store or that crazy custom license plate we saw on the Impala in front of us at the stoplight.

What we don’t think about 95% of the time are those tiny details a picture can’t show us. Those moments in time where our mind remembers the journey that led up to those first steps. The way we felt on that hike up the mountain or the emotions that rushed through our minds when we saw the break of dawn.

The only way that I’ve been able to truly remember those moments are when I take the time to write them down. Get them from my brain to paper (digitally is fine too!). Then and only then do I have a way to archive those moments in time that even a still shot can’t capture.

I’ve gone long enough with the feelings of frustration when I realize I can’t ACTUALLY remember the moment in the picture on my phone. I’m tired of just remembering the picture, but not the actual moments in and around that image.

So that’s why I’m choosing to write right now. At 31 years old, I’m starting a blog. I’m starting a blog because I want to write. I want to remember. I want to share.

Why has it taken me SO long to get to this point?

1. I’ve always thought I waited too long.

The truth is, that’s just a lie I’ve been telling myself. In reality, there’s no such thing as too long. Remember the title of this blog? Just start! There’s never a better time to jump into something than now. So that’s why I’m doing it.

So start now.

2. I’ve been terrified that I have nothing new to say.

“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.”

- André Gide

I’m an optimist and a dreamer in many ways, but I’m still a realist. I hold the belief that there is nothing “original” out there. Whether that’s overly existential or not, that belief has always held me back. I didn’t have anything new to say, so why should I bother saying anything at all? Why should I put my thoughts out there on a blog? Why should I create a YouTube channel? Someone else has already said it better than me… I know it.

While it is true that in life, most things are really just a “knock-off” of something. But the way I see it now, that’s a refreshing idea. We as humans, no matter how drastically different we may seem, are connected by our thoughts. We share very similar thoughts but have different spins on those thoughts. So why not say what I have to say? Just because someone else said it in some other time or place doesn’t mean that my words don’t have a space to occupy in our world.

So start now.

3. I’m a perfectionist. I’m a people pleaser. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time and I definitely don’t want people thinking I’m some arrogant narcissist.

Perfectionism is a blessing and a curse. I see perfectionism divided into two groups of people: 1) The group of perfectionists who have harnessed the power of perfectionism and consistently do really incredible work, 2) The group of perfectionists who haven’t harnessed the power of perfectionism and are crippled by the inability to get great work done because of the fear that your work won’t be good enough and will end up just wasting people’s time.

I don’t have much to speak on to group 1 because I haven’t actually seen that in my life yet. But group 2 is near and dear to my heart. I have a lot of ideas that are in my head. Things that may actually be valuable to someone around me. But because I want whatever it is to be perfect before I bring it to the world, it inevitably never surfaces. Eventually, it even fades from my own mind because I’ve suppressed it enough, written it off as not good enough, and/or just a waste of time.

“The best way to get started on the path to sharing your work is to think about what you want to learn, and make a commitment to learning it in front of others. Find a scenius, pay attention to what others are sharing, and then start taking note of what they’re not saying. Be on the lookout for voids that you can fill with your own efforts, no matter how bad they are at first. Don’t worry, for now, about how you’ll make money or a career off it. Forget about being an expert or a professional, and wear your amateurism (your heart, your love) on your sleeve. Share what you love, and the people who love the same things will find you.”

Austin Kleon - Show Your Work

At the end of the day, most of us are really just amateurs. None of us ever live long enough to truly be an expert at anything. Some are just more capable of positioning themselves as experts. That’s because they are brave enough to show their work because they love what they do.

Imagine a life where you wake up every day excited about what you do. You wake up, write about it, draw it, type it on your computer, post a picture of it on social media, share it on a Zoom call, talk about it with a friend over a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine in the evening. Sounds like a pretty wonderful life, doesn’t it?

So start now.

I’m choosing to start now.