To shake the brain fog, shake the indecision, the paralysis … we’ve got to jump into something and get started. Jump right into the nearest task or job at hand and start doing. Sounds obvious to the point of being stupid. But actually, many people (including myself at times) have a horrible time getting started on something. How about you??
Hello Readers, hope all’s well. Time for another post in my new series, Natural Wisdom. In case you missed the first few posts, this is a series where I write about some of the lessons God has taught me, through nature. God teaches us so much through nature if we’re willing to watch and listen to see and hear the Wisdom. God teaches us a lot about Himself through nature. He teaches us about lots of topics.
The latest lesson God taught me outdoors is actually a reminder of something I knew before. But I needed reminding of. Do you know what the hardest part of any task is?? The most mentally demanding part of any job or project??
It’s getting started. Getting started on a big job we may or may not want to do is one of the greatest challenges in this world. Taking that first step is both the most challenging and the most important part of the job.
Once we get started we can get on a roll. But we can’t get on that roll until we start the roll. The good news is, once we do get started it’s pleasantly surprising how fast minor progress adds up to great progress. These intimidating jobs go faster than we expect. But we won’t see that victory if we never take that first step and get started.
Well, that’s what today’s post is about.
Jump right in
Sometimes when I go out onto my land to work, I’m paralyzed with indecision. There are so many things that need to be done, and all are important. I’m overwhelmed with the number of options I have for what to work on today. Sometimes I can’t make a choice, and I waste time doing nothing while I think of where and how to start.
This has happened to me enough times that when I realize I’m stuck in indecision, I go find something to chop, cut, or rake as soon as I can. I know I have to do that, and do it quick, because that’s the way to get past the indecision. I have to do anything I can to get started on something, anything. Getting started is what’s really important. Once I get past the initial indecisiveness, I can get on a roll pretty easily after getting started.
To shake the brain fog, shake the indecision, the paralysis … we’ve got to jump into something and get started. Jump right into the nearest task or job at hand and start doing. Sounds obvious to the point of being stupid. But actually, many people (including myself at times) have a horrible time getting started on something. How about you??
There are many reasons why it’s difficult to get started. One problem could be having too many options, like I described above. The solution to that is to decide which option is the most urgent or valuable/worthwhile. If one option is better than others then go with that one. In my case though, all the options are equal because all the jobs I have to do on my land need to get done. When they get done is less important. This is a happy conundrum for me to be in, because it means I can’t waste time as long as I’m doing something on my land, since every job before me must be done. Whatever option I pick is a valid use of time!! That’s a great big help in being able to jump right into something, anything, and get started.
Giant Jobs
Another possibility that makes it hard to get started is when we’re facing an overwhelming task. There’s so much work to be done, and the task is so huge, we can’t process it and don’t know where to begin. I know the feeling. Look at some of what I have to work with on my land:
I want to clear all that fallen stuff out. And I’m one person working alone. So yeah … it’s a big job.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when facing a big job. And this is when it’s even more important to get started. Because that job will stay overwhelming and intimidating if we don’t get started on it, and begin chopping it down to size!!
It’s surprising, shocking, how fast minor progress adds up to good progress. If we can only manage to get started on that gigantic job, and start chipping away at it little by little, day by day, we’ll start seeing good progress faster than we think. Then comes a point when we can see the end of the work in sight. Soon enough, one day the massive job is done—the giant is slain.
As long as we get started we will see that day of victory sooner than expected. The opposite is also true though, of course. If we don’t pick somewhere to start, and remain intimidated or overwhelmed, we never make progress on that big job. Obviously. It remains unfinished and unstarted, an intimidating and dreaded job. The longer we have some job like this on our minds and nothing is being done about it, the more it causes anxiety. It’s good for us in more ways than one to start chipping away at these projects so we can one day finish them.
This applies to all our projects in life, not only the work waiting for us outside in nature. I often have a hard time getting started writing these blog posts. I choose to indulge in any other distraction that comes to mind, like email, local news, and YouTube. Anything to avoid getting started on writing a blog post. Why?? Because I often don’t know exactly what I want to say and that makes it hard to get started with writing even a single sentence. Getting started is an intimidating task; it seems like an impossible obstacle. The writers out there know what I’m talking about. Getting started writing something is not an easy thing to do!! If you know, you know.
Call for Help
So what’s our best recourse, our best option in all scenarios no matter what we’re facing?? It’s God of course!! We need to bring God into our struggle. We need to ask Him for help in getting started with our battle, and we also need to ask Him to bless our efforts in that battle too. As for the getting started part, if we ask God for Wisdom on how or where to start He may show us a good place to begin.
With Jesus we have the ultimate ally, friend, and helper on our side. With Jesus nothing is impossible and we are as strong as the one who is inside us, strengthening us. If we ask for help, we’ll get help. And Jesus, our ultimate Spiritual ally, is infinitely stronger than any giant we might ever face. None of those overwhelming and intimidating battles we have waiting for us, those projects we haven’t started, are any match for the power of Jesus Christ. If we give our battle to Him, He will give us the victory.
(13) I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13 (CEB)
Every one of these immense tasks, whether it’s clearing the land like I’m doing or it’s something else, is achievable, beatable, and surmountable. But if we want to enjoy victory over these obstacles, we’ve got to get started on them!! And we also need to bring God into the battle, and make it a Spiritual matter.
The next time we’re stalling when we need to get started on something, let’s call out to God for help. Let’s ask for Wisdom on how or where to do the most important step of all … where to get started!!
Like my content?? Leave a tip at https://ko-fi.com/999_the_end_is_now
Well that’s all for today. If you enjoyed today’s post, be sure to Subscribe using the link below. And please consider Supporting My Blog using the Tip Jar: https://ko-fi.com/999_the_end_is_now. Any amount is much appreciated!!
Until next time, be strong and do good!!
Your new best friend in Christ,
99:9
<<<EXALT THE LORD OUR GOD AND WORSHIP AT HIS HOLY HILL; FOR THE LORD OUR GOD IS HOLY>>>
Follow My Blog
Subscribe to my FREE Substack newsletter so you never miss any of my posts!
https://999f64.substack.com/
99:9 Exalt El Shaddai 
One comment on “Natural Wisdom Part 4: It’s all in the Start”