Start

Most of us live in a state of waiting.

We tell ourselves that “someday,” when the market is better, when we have more time, when the kids are older, when we feel more inspired we’ll start the business, get in shape, write the book, or finally be happy.

It’s a psychological trap keeping us fixated on an ideal future we’ll probably never see while ignoring the only thing we have: the present moment.

We wait for the “right” long-term plan to magically unfold. But life mastery comes from consistently making a choice in each moment and owning those choices.

The Tyranny of “Perfect”

Waiting for the “perfect” moment often masks a fear; fear of failure, fear of not being “ready,” “enough,” “capable,” “suitable,” the list goes on and on and on.

So we postpone and procrastinate because we often miscalibrate between our present and future selves.

“Someday is an intoxicating illusion” ~ Dr. Sarah Sarkis, Psychologist

It tricks us into thinking a better time will eventually arrive without any evidence that it will. Meanwhile, we ignore what could be done now.

Perfectionism often tag teams with procrastination. If you insist on ideal conditions to begin, those conditions will never arrive.

“Because perfectionism and procrastination go hand-in-hand, you may be reluctant to start new projects out of fear of failure.” ~ Harvard Division of Continuing Education

This mindset tricks you into believing that at a later time—when you’re less busy, more inspired, or learned the skills—the task will feel easier. But behavioral research finds the opposite: starting now, even in a very small way, is often the only antidote to delay.

There is no magical “someday” when all the stars align.

“‘Someday’ is not a guarantee. All we have is right now.” ~ Sarah Sarkis’ Mother

The Power of an Imperfect Start

The goal is to begin. It should always be, to start now, however imperfect, however small. Just start.

If a goal looms too large, take a chunk, shrink it until it’s so small it would be absurd not to start. Make it so easy you can’t say no.

• Write one paragraph of the novel, one word. Even a single letter would break the barrier of a blank page.

• Walk for just five minutes, one minute. Putting on your shoes is a completely risk free first step.

• Send a single email, one text. Searching their LinkedIn profile is a non committed harmless first move

Stanford behavior scientist BJ Fogg famously tested flossing just one tooth, a small commitment it felt silly to skip. He made a new habit “so tiny, it’s almost easier to do it than not to.”

Often, once you floss one tooth, you’ll do more, but the critical shift is you’ve begun.

Recent behavioral science research, including a large-scale 2025 study, found that defining a ridiculously small first step, and pairing it with a tiny reward, significantly reduced resistance and increased the odds of starting a task within 24 hours.

Those who did this exercise reported better mood and less “resistance” toward the task, and they were more likely to take action within 24 hours.

You trick your brain by making the first step both easy and intrinsically rewarding.

Own Your Choices, Own Your Life

You are always choosing how to spend each moment, whether intentionally or by default.

Choose to let go of the idea of “life happening to me” and replace it with “I have a choice in how I respond.” You are reclaiming the driver’s seat, taking ownership of your life, and choices.

Hundreds of studies have found when people feel their actions are self-chosen (even in constrained situations), they experience greater motivation, better performance, and higher satisfaction.

Autonomy leads to well-being and owning your choice is empowering, even when difficult or feels impossible. It shifts you from feeling like a victim of circumstance to feeling like an agent of change, a catalyst.

Practice Reps

Each choice to act, however imperfectly, is a “practice rep” that makes the next one easier. Over time, quality catches up with quantity, but not vice versa.

You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to become great.

If exerting effort is consistently followed by a positive feeling, we start to feel good about the effort itself. Over time this learned industriousness transforms what once felt like an onerous beginning into a routine success.

“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s why I succeed” ~ Michael Jordan, Basketball Legend

What sets high performers apart is their willingness to take the shot repeatedly and learn from misses. They are successful because they overcome the fear of missing.

Free to Reinvent

Your life is the sum of your choices. This is your invitation to think of every moment as a remarkable opportunity to reinvent yourself.

You can live multiple lifetimes within one life.

Mastery is a volume game as much as a quality game. It’s a game where even the best players miss roughly half their shots.

Stop looking for “answers” or clinging to outcomes. Stay with the questions, seek discovery and exploration. Stay open, reinvent yourself, and take the shot.

The rest is up to life.

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Inspired by Mastering Life Through Choices, Questions, and Joy. A conversation with Utkarsh Narang on The IgnitedNeurons Podcast.