I wanted to share my journey of taking the first step on making a big change in my life. You know how we all go through life wanting things for ourselves, whether they are new experiences, better health, a change in direction or tangible things?

I think it’s normal for us to want but we sometimes push it aside or listen to our primitive brain as to why it is not possible or even worth trying.

My takeaway from my journey is that the first step truly is the hardest.

I decided I wanted to get healthier, I decided I wanted to change my view of exercise from something of a stressful job to something more soul filling and enjoyable. I decided I wanted to stop drinking so much sweet red wine. The first step I took was making a financial commitment to work with a functional medicine doctor to get to the root cause of my symptoms and move towards optimal living. I will never regret that decision!

I decided I wanted a career change and I set a date for myself, but until I took that first step towards it which was signing up for a continuing education certification class, I knew I could change my mind. I will never regret that decision!

When you have something that you really want, you like your reasons for it and you feel the desire towards it don’t dismiss it away. Don’t ignore it. Don’t listen to your negative primitive brain that tells you it would be safer or easier to stay where you are. When you take a step towards something you are also gaining valuable information along the journey so that you can continue to determine if this feels like what is right.

If we never even take a step, we never even know what is available to us.

I can’t imagine my life now had I not taken those first steps and committed to moving towards these things I really wanted for myself. Even if it’s something you’ve dreamed of or thought about for a period of time, there will be these defining moments when you really feel a strong pull to it. I think this is when we really need to listen to that and ask ourselves, what is the real risk in moving towards this goal? Your brain may tell a story that it could be a disaster but it could also be amazing.

It may not be today, tomorrow or next month. But there will be a day when you feel a stronger desire to take the first step towards something.

Maybe you should just take that first step and jump. The only failure is giving up or never trying.

“You must take the first step. The first steps will take some effort, maybe pain. But after that, everything that has to be done is real-life movement.“

– Ben Stein