The Best Way to Get Started is by Blessing Your Starting Point

The fastest way to get where you want to be is by appreciating where you are and respecting yourself for what you’re doing.

Ram Dass boiled it down to three simple words: “Be here now.”

Physically, you have no choice. No matter where you are, you’re here. And no matter what time it is, it’s now. You literally can’t be anywhere else but in the here and now.

Psychologically, you have a choice. You can mentally check out by regretting the past, worrying about the future, or resenting the present by comparing it to some other moment.

Some people fear “be here now” because they believe they’ll get stuck in their unwanted circumstances if they allow themselves to appreciate the present moment.

Some people fear “be here now” because they believe they’ll get stuck in mediocrity if they respect themselves before achieving their goals.

The tricky part is realizing that it works the other way around.

If you insist on seeing yourself as a loser before you achieve your goals, then you’ll react to the possibilities around you with a loser’s mindset.

If you insist on seeing your life as a completely worthless arrangement of possibilities, then you’ll respond to the opportunities around you as if they are just another reflection of that worthlessness.

In order to make things better, you have to demand better things of yourself. In order to demand better things of yourself, you have to believe that you’re actually better than your current patterns of behavior. You need to be able to say “I am not my story. I am that which authors my story.”

In order to change your life, you have to start where you are. Remember that whole thing about how you literally can’t be anywhere else but in the here and now? In order to start where you are, you have to believe that your current circumstances offer you the tools for your transformation. You need to be able to say “I may not love every single thing about my life, but there’s gotta be something here that I can work with in order to turn things around.”

If your goals are the finish line, then your problems are the starting point.

How can you possibly run towards the finish line if you you’re too busy complaining about the starting point?

If you learn to love your life now, you won’t get stuck. You’ll get inspired to live in a more lovable way.

If you learn to respect yourself now, you won’t fall into mediocrity. You’ll carry yourself with respect and your results will reflect that attitude.

One of my favorite bible verses says “despise not the day of small beginnings.”

Instead of cursing the fact that your life isn’t everything you want to be, bless your starting point and start moving forward.

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TK Coleman is the Education Director for Praxis. He has coached dozens of young people and top performers from all stages of life. He’s the author of hundreds of articles and is a frequent speaker on education, entrepreneurship, freedom, personal growth, and creativity. TK is a relentless learner, has been involved in numerous startups, and has professional experience ranging from the entertainment to financial services industries and academia. Above all else, TK is on a mission to help people embrace their own power and expand their own possibilities.