# just start When it comes to creativity, [[procrastination]] and Avoidance are the outward expression of fear. Fear of not having ideas or of not being successful. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of getting it wrong. Damn negative thoughts getting in the way of being productive. To get past that procrastination, you need to get out of your head and banish all those negative thoughts. The best way to bypass your brain is to just start doing the work. Our brains are good at creating imaginary roadblocks and worrying about potential catastrophes. The more creative your mind, the better you tend to be at envisioning monsters. Your conscious mind can recognize the limitations of those worries however it can be hard to rationalize the fears away. Courage comes from moving forward despite the worries and fears. The hardest step is the first one but it is how you start. This process can go by several metaphors. Many of these are cheesy but they work. Choose the cliché that works for you: ### Jump in Instead of standing on the side of the pool dipping your toes in to test the temperature, dive headlong into the deep end. Sure it will probably be cold and you may scream once you surface, but at least you are in the water and can start swimming. ### Take the first step > A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. > > — Lao Tzu No matter how long the adventure, it is experienced a step at a time. Don't worry about the destination, or even the process of how you are going to get there. Just take the first step and then the next one after that. Next thing you know, you are walking along making progress. You may not know where you are going and the first few steps are probably going to feel like you are staggering around in the fog. No worries, you discover the trail and banish the fog by walking through it. ### Climb the stairs Instead of walking a trail, think of climbing a staircase into the clouds. > Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. > > — Martin Luther King, Jr. ### Push the domino [Jeremy Enns](https://jeremyenns.com/) says to [Push the Domino](https://jeremyenns.com/2021/04/push-the-domino/). > Rather than get hung up on the blank page or the empty canvas, they \[_successful creators_\] commit easily to writing the first line, to making the first brush stroke. > > They understand that it's impossible to ruin their work before it's begun, and that the only way to uncover the potential of the seed of the idea in their head is by getting it out of their head and playing with it in a more physical form. The first domino knocks into the next and gets the motion moving. Your job is to follow along. --- As [Seth Godin](https://www.sethgodin.com/) says: "The only thing worse than starting something and failing…is not starting something." Ok. So get out of your head and [[get to work]] and be sure to [[leave a record]]. --- tags: #creativity #process home: [[! creative process]]