Lacing Up Cleats
The struggle went on for a solid five minutes.
I was driving my son to practice as he tried to put on his soccer cleats. Without the aid of the shoehorn he usually used at home, there was no way. Think Cinderella’s stepsisters trying to fit the glass slipper over their ogre feet, plus shin guards and knee socks. Impossible.
After listening to him tug, stretch and grunt even more than I did when trying to zip up pre-pregnancy jeans after delivering him, I told him to give up.
He persisted however, and sure enough by the time we arrived the shoes were laced and ready to go.
I was shocked to hear him report after practice that the cleats were perfectly comfortable. So much, that he went on to wear them for another nine months.
The lesson?
Getting started is the hardest part.
I often imagine myself as this figure -
Standing at the bottom of a staircase that's easy to climb, if only I can get past the first step. The first step looks insurmountable.
Have you ever felt this way? You know that you’ll feel better once you do the thing, but starting the thing is a whole different story.
One thing that always helps when I feel like this, is narrowing my focus.
Considering the entire staircase is overwhelming. Instead, just think about the first step.
You don’t have to write the entire book, just write one sentence.
You don’t have to clean the whole house, just empty the sink.
You don’t have to complete the entire to-do list, just check one item.
You don’t have to become your best self today, just take a shower.
You don’t have to play the entire soccer game at once.