This week's book: "Start." by Jon Acuff.
"The beginning is the most important part of the work."
Plato
I'm good at a lot of things. Starting isn't always one of them.
I can research a project, plan it, and prepare it to death, and then hesitate at the one moment that matters most. The beginning. If that's you too, then this week's book is for both of us.
This week we're reading Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, Do Work That Matters by Jon Acuff, and the message of the opening chapters is one we all need to hear from time to time: no matter where you are today, you don't have to stay there.
Acuff doesn't sugarcoat it. He never says that starting something new is easy. He tells you that fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt come with the territory, and then he walks you through it anyway. Honestly assess where you are (this can be tough). Decide where you want to go (this can be tougher). And know what to expect so that when you do begin, the hard parts don't surprise you into quitting.
Here's what I know from my own life. Every meaningful thing I've ever done began in uncertainty. Scuba diving. Sailing. Going away to college. Working on an oil rig. Starting a business. Changing careers. Leading a nonprofit. And now, building All Star Mentors.
Not one of those came with a clear road map. But every single one started with the same decision: to start. Not because I had the answers, but because I'd come to believe I would find them along the way. Sometimes the original path changed on me. There are so many forks in the road when you are blazing the trail. Often, that was a good thing. But I never would have found out by standing still.
Here's the promise for the week: by Saturday you'll have Acuff's framework for beginning something that matters, how to look past the fear that stops so many of us, and one small way to take your own first step, no matter what you've been putting off.
And here’s a question to start the week: what's one thing you've been meaning to start but haven't… yet? Hit reply, I read every one.
I'll go first: for years, mine was what you are reading right now. A newsletter, sharing what I'd learned from a lifetime of reading and living. I planned it in my head far longer than I care to admit before I finally started. This is me, having started.
Reading ahead?
Next week we're reading a classic "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter, C.P.A. If you like to follow along, now's a good time to grab a copy so it's on your shelf by Monday. Forgot to order in time? The Kindle version is instant.
If someone forwarded you this, you can get the daily insights free at www.allstarmentors.com.
Talk tomorrow,
Mike
Practical wisdom for the life you're building