It Matters That You Started, Now How You Started.
Don’t let an underwhelming start discourage you
I am not going to rehash how Apple, Amazon or Microsoft started. That is public knowledge and only a Google search away. But if those accounts tell us anything, it is that the start is the most important. Let me tell you why.
I remember when I started professional photography. At a youth meeting, I whipped out my Canon 70D camera and asked the youth President if I could take some pictures. He nodded his approval, and off I went, clicking away. The pictures were not exactly great, but none of us cared at that time. In the end, we all went home happy. The organizers thanked me profusely. I promised to edit the pictures for them the next day.
Slowly, I got better. I sought advice from colleagues. I took more pictures and I got even better. Three years later, I’m still improving. Connecting the dots, it is clear to me that the most important thing was that I started. It did not matter the platform on which I started. And it was certainly not about the results at the start.
Similarly, my first article on Medium was by no means a masterpiece. There were no views, no claps, and certainly no responses. But I was excited I got off the ground. I was elated I had published an article of my own, instead of clicking on another popular article. Then I published my second article. And another. I could see my confidence meter filling up.
You don’t have to get all your ducks in a perfect row before you start. The start is only that, a start. But the improvement that follows is far more important. It is the most important thing, I would argue.
A terrible start has no bearing on anything. Sadly, there are a lot of people afraid of starting. They are bound by the fear of failure. Others fear judgment and subjective criticisms from people who have never attempted anything similar. Respectfully, those are not the people you should be listening to if you’re just starting.
Some of the people who have had some level of success are more than happy to help you along the way. Some of them are willing to share their success stories with you. They long to point us in the right direction. They would love to share their wisdom and expertise with up and comers like us. They genuinely want to help us make it.
Ugly starts do not necessarily spell doom. I have seen Usain Bolt on TV on several occasions. He wasn’t always the quickest off the mark. But he ended up winning. Similarly, the winners in long-distance races have not always been the first out of the gate. As the race progressed, they built up momentum to finish well. All this to buttress the point that it is okay if the start is underwhelming. The key is to not let it throw you off course.
How much longer are you going to wait for the perfect moment to strike? Do you even know when that moment is? Can you recognize that moment when you see it? If you could, you would have started what you’ve been mulling over. I do not know of too many successful people who started great. It’s great if you are the quickest out of the gates. But there is no cause for discouragement if you didn’t get off to a flying start. You know you can’t get any worse than that.
Your first few articles are not going to go viral. Your first speech is not going to instantly move people to tears. Your first draft might not land you a contract with a publishing house. Your first audition might not get you selected. Your first Youtube video may not get the interactions and colt following you dreamt of. Your first script may not be a blockbuster. Your first course will likely not rake in thousands of dollars.
None of this is to discourage you. It is merely to strengthen you. It lets you know that everything else notwithstanding, just start. Stat ugly. Whatever. But just start.
So, yeah…Just start.
