Why Your First Step Is Not the First Step
“I believe luck is preparation meeting opportunity. If you hadn’t been prepared when the opportunity came along, you wouldn’t have been lucky.”
Unmet goals, unfinished projects, unsuccessful tasks - we beat ourselves up day after day making plans for our goals, projects and tasks that never come to fruition or turn out how we expected.
It could be the new journaling practice, the perfect romantic meal, the fitness plan, the business venture - our goals can be simple or life-changing. We know the steps we have to take - and then either we don’t get started, we fall off halfway through the process, or we mess it up. Then we give up, and deem ourselves and our goal a failure.
Regardless of how it doesn’t work out - whether it never got started, or the final result was not good, the cause of failure is often the same: the first step was not the first step - the real first step was preparation - and that step wasn’t taken. Either we launch into premature action or we stay stuck.
Alex wanted to establish a journaling practice as one of the steps to getting clarity around the direction of his business. He was determined and excited, and it seemed like an uncomplicated step to take. Yet it took weeks to actually get started. First, he hadn’t got round to buying a new journal. Then he finally bought one, and it still took another week. All the time, the clarity around his business was still out of reach.
What do you need first in order to get started?
The secret to success is not just the steps. The secret is getting everything you need to take those steps as willingly and easily as possible.
Do you want to start working out first thing in the morning? But then you flake out when morning comes?
Sheer determination will likely not be enough when it’s still dark and cosier in bed. If you don’t have workout clothes that you like, go buy them. Then prepare your clothes and leave them where you will trip over them in the morning. Fill your water bottle and have it chilling in the fridge. Keep a supply of fresh fragrant towels you love. Set yourself up for success the night before and you will more likely do it. That preparation will create momentum. No excuses; you’ve already started the process. The next step, actually working out, has no false obstacles now.
Do you want to make a great presentation to your team?
Prepare for it no matter how knowledgeable you are about the subject matter, or how many times you’ve spoken about it.
Check the room you’ll be presenting in. Set up and test the tech in advance. Check all the connections, print the materials. Have back-ups ready in different formats. Then, practice out loud, in front of a mirror, or get someone else to practise with you. Anticipate questions, and prepare the answers.
You want to impress your partner with a romantic meal, but you get stressed out and the kitchen looks like a bomb went off in it at the end?
Then prepare in advance and the rest will take care of itself. Consult the recipe, list the ingredients and equipment you need. Measure and chop everything first before cooking anything. Then when everything is prepared to actually cook, that’s all you have to do.
No badly timed cooking. No missing ingredients. No constantly washing the chopping board, and contaminating things with meat-covered hands. No food burning on the stove while you get distracted chopping something else. No looking like a stray cat at the end of it.
Don’t worry about a lack of spontaneity.
We can’t control everything, and life will always give us something to play with. In fact, if you’re better prepared, then you’ll have more brainspace to deal with spontaneous issues, and be creative on the spot. But if you’re dealing with avoidable problems, you’ll lose time and energy that should be reserved for your best performance.
Actors prepare in various stages: reading scripts alone, read-throughs on stage, rehearsal, and dress rehearsal, b1efore performing. They even practise improvisation, as paradoxical as it seems. They’re ready to improvise if needed, because they’ve prepared for it.
How many times have you held yourself back or ‘failed’ because you didn’t take the real first step? If you’re committed to doing something right, and making it easier for yourself, and with a higher chance of success, then prepare. Lack of preparation will put you at least one step back.
It’s not just a question of deciding on doing something and using willpower to pull it off - preparation will save you time, get you excited, fill your knowledge gaps, and let you know what’s right or wrong for you, before you invest yourself too heavily.
Preparation is the first step. After that, everything else is a next step to success.
Here are some questions to ask yourself the next time you’re taking that first step.
How can I prepare for this step?
How can I make this easier for myself?
How can I make this more pleasant for myself?
What resources or support do I need? (This could be information, training, equipment, supplies, time, practice, emotional/physical support, a space, protection, privacy, a coach, an expert, etc.)
If A doesn’t work, what will I do?
What is my next step?
And of course, don’t get stuck in the preparation stage either. The point of all of this is to keep moving forward and eliminate things that will hold you back. If you find yourself unable to get started at all, you may not be focusing on the right goal.
For more support in personal leadership and setting and achieving your goals, get in touch: siobhan@siobhangallagher.co