How To Start Something New In 4 Easy Steps

​How do you start something new in your life? Whether it’s a new habit or creative endeavor? Or it’s a practice you want to do on a regular basis? 
How do you take that first step?  What gets you going?  
This is often the most challenging part – getting started.  Procrastination can feel more comfortable and easier to accept than starting something new. 
So how can we get over procrastinating, so we begin?  

Think of something you’d like to start that you have been putting off.  Just one.

1. 1. Do it for a short time- Decide that you’ll just do 5 minutes of it. If that’s too much, then 1 minute. You can stop after that time. That’s not too hard! 

The key is to just get started.  So, if you commit to a small amount of time that seems easy, you have started!  
You can stop at the end of your allotted time – and feel good that you started. But, often, you might just want to continue for a little while longer, as you just got going.  Why not continue?
You got started, but not sure how you will maintain that momentum to continue?  

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​2. Make it simple -  If you want to add something new as a regular practice, make it simple.  Maybe you want to do a specific meditation each day, ideally it would be 20 minutes, you think.  Start with 5 minutes to begin.   Why? Because which will be easier to maintain and do each day 5 minutes or 20 minutes?  Of course, the 5 minutes.  
Later, once your practice is a habit, you can add to it if you’d like. 
But, to begin, start simple.  

3. Remember it’s a process- Keep in mind that everyone starts as a beginner at some point.  And everyone moves through these 4 stages when beginning something new:  

• unconscious incompetence– you don’t yet know what you don’t know
• conscious incompetence– you become aware of what you don’t know
• conscious competence– you are getting better, but need to exert extra energy to be sure you are doing it correctly
• unconscious competence– now it is natural, something that you automatically do

 
Just remembering these stages is helpful.  You realize that soon it will get easier.  
 
Be open to surprises.  Sometimes the time in one phase may surprisingly be longer or shorter than what you thought.  Maybe there is detour or shift as you get started.  Accept your own journey and keep on the path moving forward .  

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1. 4. Commit to keep going– Many times we give up after a short time. Often at that conscious incompetence or conscious competence phase as it seems too hard.  But, that is the moment to gather your strength and keep moving! It’ll be much easier soon, and you will reap the benefits!

 
Current research says that it takes an average of 66 days to create a new habit.  It’s essential during this time to stick with it.  No excuses or rationalizations or it may take much longer than 66 days!  
 
 
4 easy steps to help you get going.  Too much?  Just do the first one, right now for 5 minutes or maybe just 1 minute.  See how easy that is!  
 
Interested in adding healing mantras to your spiritual practice?  Start with just a few minutes each day.  Check out my easy-to-use guidebook, How to Bring Life to Your Chakras: 7 Healing Mantras.  
 

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