Start with the smallest step you can take
- Karen Wilson: Family Corner
- April 17, 2024
- 273
Just start it.
When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago or right now.
Ever dreamed of farming? Buy a chick. Actually, buy three. Chicks need company.
The point is to start somewhere. Start with the smallest step you can take.
I’m all for research, and we do our best to adequately investigate things we want to try, especially if it involves living things or significant cash outlays. But don’t research to such an extent that you never actually start.
If you aspire to novel writing, start writing something every day or at least a few times each week. You’ll learn what it takes to create a piece of writing that long.
Learn as you go. Once you try to do something, you’ll have a better understanding of the information you find on the subject.
I recently listened to a couple of books on farming. I know I read the same books a few years ago. But because we are at a different place in our farming experience, I can more readily appreciate and apply what I am hearing.
If you have never actually tried something, it’s very likely you don’t even know what you don’t know about a subject or activity.
So say you decide to buy those chicks. Where are you going to buy them? A farm store? A hatchery? Do you want to try incubating eggs? What breed should you get? What characteristics do you want? Do you want broodiness? Do you want dual purpose? Where are you going to put the chicks? How are you going to keep them warm? How are you going to monitor their temperature? What temperature should the brooder be? What are you going to feed them? What type of feeder or waterer are you going to choose? What’s best for the chicks?
Where are you going to put the chickens as they grow or when they are adults? How much room do they need? Are you going to let them range around or keep them contained? What about predators?
OK, I know that’s a lot about chickens, and you may have absolutely no interest in the subject, but I hope you see the point. If you have never raised chickens, you may not even know what questions to ask.
With pretty much any endeavor, you will make mistakes. But be brave enough to do something poorly until you can learn enough to do it well.
Most of us would love to be extremely good at something the first time we try it, but that rarely happens.
I’ve never really mastered an instrument, although I have taken guitar and piano lessons. Anyone who has tried to create music knows the first attempts can sound pretty rough. But those who practice, unlike me, generally get better. Many learn to make beautiful music. However, they had to try first.
What would you really like to do? Where could you start? What is the smallest step you could take toward that goal? Take that step and then figure out the next one.