Do you ever know that you need to make a change, but the journey seems so long and arduous that you procrastinate from it? I don't know about you, but I definitely do.
You've probably heard Lao Tzu's the quote, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." I was thinking about it recently when not once, but TWICE, when I knew I needed to embark on a "journey".
One really great example of this is my IBS. I know that it's not cured or near perfect, but the perceived amount of research and effort of trying (yet again) to find a solution that will work has been making me avoid it. I've been settling with "good enough", despite my daily symptoms and struggles.
Another example? My spending habits. My spending wasn't really in control the first month of being here. I had no idea how much I was spending on a weekly basis because I was just tap-tap-tapping my credit card or paying with cash. Not good!
At home, I am usually pretty good with tracking my spending (shoutout to my KOHO card!) but I have been using a new travel credit card since I've been in Singapore. I knew I should probably do the ~adult~ thing and make a budget, but the thought of sitting down and actually figuring it out did not sound like my idea of fun. You can see why I'm not pursuing a career in accounting...
Anyways, I finally said to myself, I was going to sit down and figure out how much I've spent in the last month. I was just going to take the first step.
Well, it wasn't very fun seeing how much I've spent BUT it also wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Once I took the first step and saw where I was wasting money, it was so easy to come up with a game plan.
I ACTUALLY made a budget!!! I feel so accomplished and empowered to stick with it. I feel like I am in control of my spending, and NOT that it's controlling me!
The same thing happened with my IBS. As I mentioned a few posts ago, I've been struggling with my IBS since I've been here. It finally hit a point where I knew I HAD to make a change. Instead of overwhelming myself with hours/days of research on the best products or solutions, I decided to try a new approach. I figured it's better to try SOMETHING than nothing.
Update: I ordered a product package that claims to rebalance the gut and they are currently in the mail! Maybe it's not the perfect solution, but I took the first step to try and fix my issues.
The point I am trying to make here is if you KNOW that you need to make a big, scary change, don't think about every single possible step involved. You might not know all of them, but I'm willing to bet you know your end goal and a first step to move you in the right direction. Avoid analysis paralysis and focus on just starting. Chances are after the first step or two, you will need to adjust your course anyways!
Whether that's starting a budget, making some healthy lifestyle changes, or something else... whatever you've been procrastinating starting, I'm challenging you to take the first step in the next 24 hours. If you had time to click on and read this entire article, than you have time to start. What are you waiting for? You got this!
xoxo,
Jess
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