Everyone wants to finish well. But starting well makes finishing well a whole lot easier. This post is my first on this new WordPress Site. Here are a few things I’ve learned about starting something new. Maybe it will help you. Feel free to add your comments and suggestions.
Know where you’re going. You don’t have to know how to get there and you don’t need all the details about the finish line, but you need a target. What are you going after? What do you expect to accomplish? All false starts aren’t obvious at first, but they become obvious when you are aimlessly wandering around.
Get help. This takes a little time, but you need a roadmap. You need to learn from someone who is already successfully doing what you want to do. Do research. Read and listen to others. Watch how others do what you want to do, and be teachable enough to learn from them. There’s nothing new under the sun, so don’t waste time and energy re-invent the wheel.
Be yourself. While learning from others, don’t think you must mimic others. We are most successful when we are exactly who God made us to be. Imitating others is boring and not very helpful.
Start before you’re ready. This is a little difficult, but the reality is that your new venture is never perfec. That last typo was intentional. Things are never as they should be. Perennial hesitation will lead to frustration.
Expect delays. I know what I just told you in point 3, but you should also remember that new stuff requires more time than you expect. It’s like that simple Saturday morning project around the house. It requires twice as much time as you thought it would. But stay with it. Don’t be discouraged by the amount of time it takes. Good ideas are worth the effort.
Be prepared for a slow start. Not every start starts with a bang. We see successful people, businesses, or ministries and we assume they were always big. That’s not the case. Many success stories operated in obscurity for quite a while before they “made it.” There are exceptions, but most good starts aren’t noticed right away.
Stick with your stuff. If God has called you to this great work, stay at it. Focus on good processes. Emphasize adding value to others and enjoy the journey.
Starting something new can be very intimidating, but it also stretches you to be better, to create new places of influence, and to add value to others. So what new thing have you done lately? What lessons did you learn? How did the challenge change you?