Quotes on Motivation #1: Starting Now



One of my new features will be to take some of my favorite quotes on motivation and analyzing what you can take from it. Here is one that I've used a lot in the last two years.



“Too many of us wait to do the perfect thing, with the result we do nothing. The way to get ahead is to start now. While many of us are waiting until conditions are ‘just right’ before we go ahead, others are stumbling along, fortunately ignorant of the dangers that beset them. By the time we are, in our superior wisdom, decided to make a start, we discover that those who have gone fearlessly on before, have, in their blundering way, traveled a considerable distance. If you start now, you will know a lot next year that you don’t know now, and that you will not know next year, if you wait.”
The William Feather Magazine (care of Steve Pavlina)

This isn't just a quote for perfectionists. People make excuses all the time about why they shouldn't do something right away. They need to learn about a new skill or do a little bit more research before they go ahead with their big project. One week passes, then two, then an entire year. This research or new skill can so easily be put off that the entire idea fades out of existence. Meanwhile, there are those who are just going for it all around us. The founder of Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines had his first shop by the time he was 20. But it's not just about youth either. When Henry Ford figured out his gasoline engine at the age of 40, he started producing cars within the next year. If you have an idea, the only way to truly know if it has salt is to go for it now.

I jumped into this blog over a year ago (after putting it off for three months). While at the time I was only able to put about four months into it (before getting a bit overwhelmed with debt, etc.) those four months I put in have paid off handsomely. I started with about 30 unique views a day. By jumping into Search Engine Optimization without really knowing much about it, my posts have been extremely high in their Google ranking. After hardly touching the site for five months or so, I'm now getting about 75 unique views a day! This is nothing compared to major bloggers, but for me it's a huge indication that jumping in and pushing myself made the foundation for this blog extremely successful.

I also used this quote to motivate me to try to produce a web series. My attempt was ultimately unsuccessful, but over the course of year, I learned as much as a film student would learn in a three year curriculum. This was because I jumped in, scared as hell, and made it happen. I was able to raise money, direct a two-day film shoot, and meet lots of members of the Chicago film community just by ignorantly jumping in. If you have an idea, go for it. You will learn a hell of a lot about the idea and yourself.

I hope that these quotes on motivation (especially this one) can be of help. Try saying it to yourself once a day (out loud) for a week and see if it makes you feel any differently.


Related Articles to Quotes on Motivation

  • Daily Motivation

  • Daily Motivation: The Morning (Part 1)

  • Stopping My Self-Sabotage and the Aftermath



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