The Courage to Begin

“Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing what is impossible.” – Saint Francis of Assisi

The new school year has begun, and while many of us have ‘been there and done that,’ as a student, as a parent, or both, we understand that the start of school is both exciting and frightening. It’s a lot like starting a new career, like making the decision to get a real estate license. You know it’s time for a change, and as you are being pulled in that direction, apprehension kicks in, still we feel this pull in a new and different direction.

We then find our self in a classroom taking that first core class, like Principles 1, we’re anxious, yet we’re excited. As a human being we to fear what we don’t know, not what we know, and over many years, I have discovered that more often than not, what I fear, never shows up.

But as we get through that first class, like the first day at school for a first grader, a certain comfort comes over us because we know we are where we are supposed to be.

Plato said, “The most important part of the work is the beginning,” and that is so. If we don’t take that leap, not only will we never overcome our fears, we will never become more than we are right now. That’s the anxious part.

Nevertheless, we have to begin, and like the youngster staring at the swimming pool water, fearful of jumping into that cold water, we know we have to take the leap, and again we feel that pull to do so. Then we jump in and discover that it isn’t all that cold in the first place, and we begin to warm up rather quickly.

There are just some things that we cannot achieve unless we ‘jump in,’ unless we take a deliberate leap of faith, trusting that we are doing the right thing.

Beginning is a grand opportunity to reset our life in a new direction, all the while knowing that if we don’t begin, the best we can hope for is that we remain where we already are.

So if you’re afraid to take that leap, try focusing on nothing else but ‘beginning.’ It’s been said that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, and the next best time is NOW. So begin, and give yourself the opportunity to experience fully what has never been in your life.

Saint Francis of Assisi encourages us to find that courage, and he said, “Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing what is impossible.”

But it all starts at the beginning, and once you do, in some time from this moment, you will look back realize many things, but above all you will discover that where you are then, once seemed impossible.

Have the courage, and be encouraged to BEGIN!

– Randy Smith