You hear it all the time... "Just start" "Start somewhere, start with anything." It's true. Just start! There's no trick, there's no secret, there's no magic spell. Actually there is magic. The magic is in you deciding to start where you are, with what you know, with what you have, and a vision.
The vision is the secret. The vision is the most important part. Having the vision is THE WORK. If you want to lose weight, you may not feel like getting off the couch or carving out time to workout, but you most likely have a vision of how you want to look and feel, right? Hold that vision, trust it. You can absolutely get to where you want to be and stay there. Even when we have the vision and can hold it and believe in our dreams and goals, we do need to take action. However, that action can only come from a place of inspiration and gratitude, or we won't stick with what we've started.
Starting can be so scary. When we start a new job, working out, or trying something new, it means that we have to admit to ourselves that we may not know everything or be "perfect". It means stepping outside of our comfort zones. Our brain's job is to protect us and keep us safe. It's an ancient survival skill that still functions to this day. When you have the ideas or desire to begin new things, your brain will talk fear, worst case scenarios, what ifs, calculate all the finances involved, and so much more. We have to look past it to take the leap. Your soul wouldn't have nudged you to start whatever it is you want to start without knowing that it would end up being important and good for you in the long run. We are what we think. You will only fail if you think you will fail. So take that dream, and start.... Just start...
You cannot do all of the action things at once. Just start small. Just start with the idea at first. Sit with the idea, enjoy it, visualize it, journal on it, make plans... You'll know when is the right time to take each step towards your goals because inspiration will strike and you will feel great about it. You will be passionate and energetic. And even if you don't, maybe there's a task you need to do that you don't want to do, find a way to feel grateful about it, as a necessary and important stepping stone on the path to your dream, and enjoy it.
When I started Amber Moon Boutique I was SCARED AF. Well not really, because everything inside me told me it was the right thing to do. What was scary were all the how's... How do I open a business? How will I make sales? So. Many. How's. But I knew it was the right decision, and I just started. I started with a vision, I started with a journal. I wrote down all of my ideas and thought about them every night while falling asleep. Little by little, each action step presented itself at the right time and I built my business, from the ground up, with nothing. You can read all about the start of Amber Moon in this blog post here. A year or two ago, I found that original journal with my Amber Moon ideas and action steps. I was blown away because every single one of them had been completed and gone beyond my expectations. Thank you, next. :)
One of my dreams has always been to pair a podcast with Amber Moon Boutique. One where I share and chat about all things fashion, beauty, motherhood, homeschool and reaching inner and outer body alignment. I made the announcement, because when I put something out there on social media and to family and friends, it really makes me stick to it. Maybe it's the proud Leo sun sign part of me, but I am way too proud to not stick to what I claimed I'd be doing. It's just a matter of time. But... I did feel stuck for awhile. My ego talking fears into me, like why would anyone want to hear what I have to say and listen to me talk? The reality is that there are so many people looking forward to the podcast, asking me about it, sending me messages about it, following the podcast social media pages. Beyond that, I also know that I have a strong voice and important things to share! I receive messages every day about how much my positivitiy and strength inspires people. I also have all kinds of excuses: It's so noisy outside my home here in Los Angeles, the podcast won't sound good; or, I keep buying audio equipment (true) and I haven't been happy with it (also true); I'm so confused by all the equipment out there. Meanwhile, everyone and their mother has a podcast, so it really can't be that hard. But I've been making excuses since I made the announcment. I finally got sick of my own BS, and recorded the podcast today. I started with just my phone and this very topic. I JUST STARTED. I had to, or it would've been a neverending list of excuses.
So whatever you have going on and whatever your dreams are, you have to start. Start with sitting in stillness and thinking about it, journal on it, follow an instgram page about it, research, or jump into inspired action. But you need to start. It's on you.
Sending you so much love and all the good vibes your way!
Listen to Episode 1: Getting Started, of the Amber Moon Podcast here: https://anchor.fm/stacy-schwam/episodes/Getting-Started-e1ea3l7
or on Spotify here:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2M2EPiLUwq4Oi5HJubduTR?si=bUfZXADETZuqrQMdY0Cyyg