First steps are always challenging. This school year as we work on implementing more time for students to cycle through the process to innovate and iterate, critical 21^st century skills, we have undergone some challenges. All events require a beginning step or action and after reading this recent blog post it got me thinking…

http://markmanson.net/do-something

The blogpost expresses the importance of action (any first step advancement) as the catalyst for forward momentum.

I like to run. And in order for me to run before work I need to get out before sunrise. People often ask me how I get out of bed so early to run… I’ve found that the key is to not think about it – just do it. Sound familiar? The reason I think that ad resonates for many of us and why it has been so successful is that it describes a feeling we have all felt before. The act of “doing” is powerful and often it gets us out of inertia – or lack of movement – to push on in a new improved direction.

Beginning the morning with a run is a decision to do something. I purposely don’t overthink it. If I do, I begin to think of excuses and alternative actions that distract me from the plan to run. This is also true with school improvement initiatives – especially if they are complex and present challenges. Overthinking or second guessing can bring on distracting thoughts.

Here is my inner dialogue when I allow myself to overthink the run (action):

• I rationalize (I already ran M, T, etc., do I really need to run today?)
• It’s really cold out (it may be uncomfortable)
• It’s icy and dark (it may be risky)
• I really don’t feel that well (will I be able to be successful?)

So you can see why I’ve learned to intentionally not think, “just do,” in order to engage in the action of the run. The motivation kicks in quickly after the initial steps and I am then further motivated by the engagement of running.

When we struggle to find what motivates us into action, we need to remember that, at times, the action can trigger or reignite the motivation.  And, like the bold phrases above illustrate, it is easy to squelch a motivation towards improvement if we deviate from the goals and begin to think too much about the challenges.