I just finished my last trip for the year. On the plane, I re-read a great little book by Seth Godin (the author of many great little books) entitled Poke The Box. In it, Seth asks a very important question:
When was the last time you did something
for the first time?
The book explains how the path to success in life and work always requires taking a first step. Yes, first steps are risky. And first steps can lead to mistakes and even failure. But the path to success “demands that you stop waiting for a road map and start drawing one instead.”
The reason I love this book is because I often find myself thinking a lot more about starting than actually starting. Sometimes, in fact, I think so much about starting I never end up starting at all. However, through the years I have also discovered a very simple, yet powerful, truth about the path to success. Thinking about starting does not lead to success. Only starting does! In other words, every path to success requires a first step.
Have you been spending too much time thinking about starting instead of actually starting? Here are 7 of the best quotes I found in the first half of Seth’s book. Each revolve around the idea that if you’re going to travel the path to success, the best way to get going is to take a first step.
The challenge, it turns out, isn’t in perfecting your ability to know when to start and when to stand by. The challenge is getting into the habit of starting.
When can you start? Soon is not as good as now.
Initiative is scarce. Hence valuable.
The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing.
The fact that it doesn’t work every time should give you confidence, because it means you’re doing something that frightens others.
Please stop waiting for a map. We reward those who draw maps, not those who follow them.
“This might not work.” Is it okay to say these four words? … Change is powerful, but change always comes with failure as its partner. “This might not work” isn’t merely something to be tolerated; it’s something you should seek out.
Question: What keeps you from starting down your path to success?
