Starting anything new, continuing something we’ve just begun, or simply working a practice we’ve dedicated ourselves to – though each situation is different, they’re united by a common factor.
Throughout our journey, we’re tasked with “starting from scratch” in various forms… over and over again.
An empty canvas. A blank slate. An unblemished page, with nothing but a blinking cursor to keep you company.
Each engagement with the practice is a chance to begin anew. To take your tools, apply your craft and transform those raw materials into something you can be proud of.
But that infinite potential isn’t without its downsides.
As empowering as freedom can be, it’s also a responsibility. In some cases, to begin again is a burden – not something we seek out.
The more we get in our heads about the process, the more that doubt, disbelief, and disengagement slips in.
Rather than confronting this work at the edges, we retreat the centre: a place where we’re comfortable & the unfamiliar is relegated to the margins… a problem for another day.
Over time, the consequences of this approach are predictable. The edges crumble. Our zone of familiarity begins to erode. The space we occupy grows smaller.
If we want to avoid this happening, the solution is simple.
Resist the urge to hide.
Rather than seeking safe harbour within the domain of what you already know, push outwards.
Confront the blank page.
Don’t be intimidated by starting again – instead, see it for what it is:
Renewal.
And here’s a reframe for those times when we’re left at a loss as to where we should begin…
We’re never really starting from zero.
All that we’ve been, all we’ve seen & done, and all our latent potential: these are assets we bring with us everywhere we go.
This moment is no different. Whatever opportunity is at hand, our ability to handle it is limited only by our approach. The one we choose.
Everything we do compounds.
Rather than viewing this task as something wholly new – an intimidating obstacle that we doubt we can overcome – see it as yet another chance to expand your capacity and push the margins outwards.
Rather than starting from scratch, start from certainty.
Whatever shape your challenges take, you’re capable of handling them.