The Hardest Part is Starting

"We all gotta start somewhere."

That’s what I kept telling myself as I grabbed my yoga mat and walked out the door at 5:15 a.m.

I had signed up for a hot yoga class at my old studio—the same one I hadn’t stepped foot in since before Covid… over three years ago.

I was nervous. Like, they might have to call 911 and carry my sweaty, out-of-shape self out of there kind of nervous.

But I went. And I survived. Actually—I did more than survive. I held my own.

It wasn’t where I used to be. But it was where I am now.

And somehow, that felt… enough.

Wherever you are right now? That’s okay, too. No explanations. No excuses.

You are always becoming. Every day, every choice, every moment is a new beginning. And the only way to move forward is to start—exactly where you are.

When it comes to beginnings, your inner judge can be super harsh. It can even make you want to quit after just one imperfect attempt. Or if it’s anything like mine, it can make you not even want to try.  My judge will shame me so much about where I am that I continue to put off attempting. 

I hide behind busyness and excuses.  And then I wonder why nothing ever changes. 

Funny how that works.

But think about it. When a toddler is learning to walk, we don’t criticize their first awkward steps.

We don’t say, “You’re doing it wrong.” We cheer them on. We expect the wobbles. The tumbles. And we trust they’ll figure it out.

So why don’t we offer ourselves the same compassion?

Compassion frees you from having to have it all done, get it all right, or be a perfected version of yourself. It's like your Get Out of Jail Free card for life.  

My less-than-graceful attempt at yoga was amazing simply because I did it. It was akin to putting my hands in the clay to begin creating art. It may not look pretty yet, but it's getting there!

Do you know what else is interesting about beginnings?  It’s the first and hardest part of the process.  Once we do the thing we’ve put off doing or have fear around doing, we realize it wasn’t so scary after all.  The next attempt will be much less daunting because we feel capable after having already started.

So much so that I go to my next yoga class tomorrow evening.

And maybe that’s all this moment—whatever it looks like for you—is asking.

Not to have it all figured out.
Not to get it right.

Just to begin.

I’ll leave you with this… YOU are a masterpiece in the making.