To begin, begin.

I heard this phrase on a podcast this morning. The idea is simple enough. If you want to start something, start. You don’t need the perfect plan, new gear, or everything figured out. You need to begin. Get started, and let the way unfold.

We all have experiences with this idea. I ran my first marathon in Atlanta over ten years ago on Thanksgiving. I didn’t start that year with any intention to run a marathon. I wasn’t even a runner at that point. I was an out-of-shape thirty-year-old who was looking for a change. I signed up for the Staten Island Half Marathon because I lived in New York City then. People can point to pivot moments: meeting their spouse, graduating college, having kids, and having a career. Running the Staten Island Half Marathon was one of these moments for me. During the race, I heard people chatting about using this half marathon as a training run for the NYC Marathon. A marathon! That seemed impossible! Could I do it? I finished the race (at a pace equal to my easy runs today) and started thinking. Could I run a marathon? 

There are so many moments in my life and ideas that I let slip away. Fortunately, running a marathon didn’t slip. I signed up for that Thanksgiving race and forever changed (or found) my path.

To begin, begin.