The Power of Starting

11 May 2020

In the summer of 2018, whilst working as a Receptionist in a Day Surgery, I had an idea to start up a podcast all about celebrating the stories behind names. One Creativity Works: Rushes course, one Meet a Mentor programme, many prep talks and two years later, the podcast has FINALLY been released

I emphasise ‘finally’ because upon reflection, I probably could have started this project a lot sooner.

In the midst of a global pandemic and with waves of news coming from every angle, the pressure of keeping up can feel ever more consuming. This post is not intended to add to that pressure, but rather encourage you, in what I can only describe as one of the weirdest times that our generation has collectively faced.

To whoever is reading this, there might be something that you’ve desired to start for a while now. It could be a new hobby. A new recipe. Or maybe it’s a new book. A passion project. A script. A new workout routine. A conversation. The list is endless.

As someone who is still learning what it looks like to wade off the sneaky head of procrastination, I’d like to share some things that have helped me to start, when starting feels almost impossible.

Start WITH a why

Remember 'the why'. Instead of boggling your mind with how you’re going to start something, it may be better to consider the why. Social Entrepreneur Mercedes Benson (a real G) talks about this a lot. And I think I understand why.

It’s all about purpose.

When we understand the motive behind starting something, we feel more compelled to not only begin, but to consistently continue despite the obstacles that we might face.

Start small

Starting small has received a bad stigma for way too long. But there’s actually a beauty in starting small. I’ve found that it makes us more grateful and brings out a child-like imagination, which is very refreshing.

A process which feels almost like a chore, can become light, fun and dare I say it, enjoyable.

As I write this, I’ve been challenged to consider alternative ways of podcasting whilst in quarantine.

Rather than focusing on what I do not currently have access to, I’ll focus on what I do have and then start from there.

Start, even IF and WHEN you don’t feel like it

We can lack self-confidence. We can feel incapable, or to keep it real, we just cannot be bothered. Too much effort. Too little time.

These feelings are normal. It might be true that we don’t have enough time. However, rather than allowing these factors to dominate our course of action, I say, we should start in spite of them.

There were moments pre-podcast, where I would form a list of why I was under-qualified to start a podcast. TBH, I’m still underqualified. And that’s okay. I’ll learn as I go.

Final words

Maybe you’re currently faced with the many reasons why you shouldn’t start 'x'. Like not enough (fill in blank)?

What ifs. What if 'x' doesn’t work out? I must admit, these doubts overwhelm me frequently.

I’ve learnt though, that as cliche as it sounds, “You’ll never know unless you start”. Therefore, the power is not in predicting the outcome before you’ve even started. But in actually starting itself.

And trust me when I say this. Once you start, it’ll be very hard for you to stop.

You can check out the trailer episode to the No Shame In My Name podcast here.

Words by Juliana Ogechi

Special thanks to Fran, Shingi & Naana and the team at Create Jobs for supporting the vision.