Just Start

Two people told me recently that they really want to start skiing, but they can’t. Not yet. They’re not ready to start.
Not because they’re missing a limb.
Not because they don’t have the money.
They’re simply waiting to start because they think they weigh too much. They’re waiting to start until they lose some weight. They think the weight will cause them to get exhausted.
They’re worried they’ll have to call “uncle” and head in early.
They’re scared their weight might cause their knees to hurt.
The truth is, these aren’t good reasons not to start something.
You will get tired. You might have to quit early. You might fail. There’s a risk that you will hurt yourself.
It doesn’t matter how much you weigh.
Skinny people get tired. Professional athletes get hurt. People quit early every day.
That is life.
Here’s what I say.
Stop waiting. Go skiing.
There’s nothing I believe in more than starting.
In my book, it’s way more important than finishing.
And it isn’t always easy.
Before you start, you see all the obstacles in front of you.
You see all the possible barriers and potential failures.
All the reasons not to try.
Before you start you lack momentum.
You lack the early wins and inspired feelings that can keep you going when going gets hard.
You lack experience and confidence.
But starting is where the magic is.
It’s where the dream is fresh.
It’s where the vision is unscathed.
It’s where you get the joy of discovering you can.
There are no risk-free days.
But when you live life avoiding risks, you also avoid pleasure.
You don’t experience the exhilaration of the single run because you’re afraid you might not make it for the full day. Afraid you might look like a wuss.
Afraid people will judge you.
And they will.
But you’re already doing it to yourself.
When you choose not to go out and do what you love because you fear what might happen, you are judging yourself to be weak.
And you’re not.
You can handle whatever happens.
You can manage the pain. You can face the disappointment.
You are strong.
I asked one of my friends what she would do in a hypothetical world where she could never lose the weight.
If she had to accept her current body. As it is today. No possibility of changing it. Would she give up on skiing forever?
She said no.
She’d go out there and ski anyway. Face those fears. Head on.
Well, life is short.
You might not lose the weight.
You might not save enough money to quit your day job.
You might not meet the man of your dreams.
You might not be able to have kids.
Stop waiting.
Accept your reality. Today.
It’s here.
It can’t stop you from starting your dreams.
Unless you choose to let it.
Life’s too short. You are too valuable. You dreams are too powerful.
So tell your fears to kiss your ass.
Go out and cross the starting line, regardless of what you weigh.
Don’t worry about the finish until you get there.
Just start.