Beginning

Welcome to Not-So-Secret Books. I’m your host Griffin Wynn and I’d like to share with you “secret” advice and wisdom that are not very secret. A lot of the self-improvement ideas of today echo similar teachings throughout history. My goal is to re-introduce some of these ideas and increase awareness of this timeless knowledge.

I’d like to start our discussion with a few quotes about beginning, because how and why you start is so crucial to success in any endeavor.

The beginning is the most important part of the work.  ~Plato

A successful outcome is more likely if we plan and mentally rehearse important actions. Thus, the beginning can be seen as the point that we start to consider our future goals.

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.   ~Napoleon Hill

You can have the greatest plan in the world and still let your attitude hold you back. You must face your tasks, and your future with “positive expectancy”.

It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.   ~William James

To succeed, we must think before we do. But at some point we must take those beginning steps. Make sure you have good intentions and good plans, then get started.

Begin, be bold and venture to be wise.  ~Horace

 

To change ones life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly.  ~William James

 

You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.   ~Zig Ziglar

It doesn’t matter if you have the skills and tools to get started, acquiring those necessary skills and tools should be part of your plan, but it should not stop you from taking some action that will move you closer to your goal.

Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.  ~George Herbert

 

Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you ready or not, to put this plan into action.  ~Napoleon Hill

Don’t over-think your beginning. There will be opportunities to adjust your course once you’re under way. Even the best laid plans encounter obstacles, setbacks, and other trajectory-altering choices. Keep your mind focused on your destination, realize that the route you take to get there may change, but don’t let it stop you from starting.

Whilst we deliberate how to begin a thing, it grows too late to begin it.  ~Quintilian

 

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.  ~Walt Disney

So, do the required amount of thinking and planning to make sure your plans look solid and that you want them for the right reasons, then get started!