Building up to Baby Steps

Dear Reader,

I’ve got a few projects on the back burner—more than a few, if I’m honest about it. I’d like to get some of them moved to the front burner, but it’s a process. Some of the projects seem overwhelming. I’m not kidding when I say they’ll take some time. How to prepare? How to get started?

It seems that I have a particular pattern for stuff like this. I contemplate. Then, I think about it some more. I consider possibilities. I consult experts—in books, on the internet, friends. And then I allow myself to get busy with other things. And sometimes, I gather resources—supplies, tools, skills. And I might even take a class or two.

Eventually what all this leads to is baby steps. Picking a place to start. If I’m making something, I shop in my home stash, unless I’m seduced by something out there in the rest of the shopping world. And then I work toward clearing space—physical work space or time or mental space. If all goes well, I can find something easy to get me going.

Like a baby taking its first steps, I like to have something or someone to hold on to. Sometimes it’s real, sometimes it’s just an imaginary security blanket.

The best thing about taking the baby steps is that it makes me want to take more steps. And most of the steps get easier. And when they get hard, I can back off, sit down, and contemplate—consider possibilities, look for the new version of baby steps.

How do you build up to your version of baby steps? Do you jump right in—and then look to see where you’re going? What gets you going—and keeps you going?

By the way, speaking of baby steps… Most of us have been walking for quite a while now. And for some of us, our feet are starting to complain about it. They get tired, perhaps achy, or downright painful. Please consider joining me at the Jung Center of Houston—in person or online—for an evening workshop focusing on the feet. I think you’ll be glad you did. It’s Tuesday evening, September 27, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Central Time. Click on the Events tab in the menu to find more details.