Ripping off a Band-Aid can be painful, most of the time it is. But, we all know that it is the quickest way to get it off of our skin. Does it hurt for a little bit after? Sure, but most of the pain comes from the anticipation of the pull.
I think as humans, that is where we often find ourselves, paralyzed by the anticipation of doing. I too left on the bandage of comfort instead of tearing it off and starting something new (that being writing this blog to share with you lessons that I have learned). As someone who considers himself to be intrinsically motivated, I sure made a lot of external excuses as to why I hadn't started writing yet.
"I need a website."
"I will get to it soon."
"Once I finish this project, then I'll start."
I needed this. I wanted that. It was never the right time.
Growing up, all I wanted to do was play Major League Baseball. That was my dream, my goal, and the foundation on which I built my life. At 23 years old, baseball is over for me. While I did not play professionally, I was extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to play four years of college baseball. Because of that, I was able to learn lessons that go far beyond the game. Those lessons have laid the groundwork for this blog.
During my time in college baseball, I was able to see the power of a simple action. This act did not require any talent or special skills; all it needed was a reasonable commitment to the present moment.
In college, I got to see and experience the power of showing up. Not the power of performing or working hard. No, just the power of showing up.
Guys on the team would often get in trouble for lack of attendance in class. In other words, they were getting in trouble for not showing up. It wasn't that they were flunking or misbehaving, as a team, our GPA was among the top in the school and country. Guys were simply getting punished for not showing up.
It takes no talent to show up. By doing just that, you give yourself an exponentially better chance to succeed. You will never know what you can accomplish if you never show up.
I was thinking about this idea recently, and I believe it is what ignited my fuse to begin writing. I get a lot of joy out of writing (My undergrad was in multimedia journalism), and I get a lot of pleasure out of helping others.
It was time that I take my own advice and just show up. Just start writing; just start sharing.
A lot of times, just showing up can feel like ripping off a band-aid. It may be hard for a moment, but it's better once you do it.
I hope you can learn from these lessons just as I have and apply them to whatever it is you do in life.
As Warren Buffet puts it, "It's good to learn from your mistakes. It's better to learn from other people's mistakes."