Why Starting Is Hard: The Feedback Loop vs The Start Line

I’ve stood at the start line over a hundred times.

I get inspired with a new challenge, I read and watch everything under the sun. I strategise, build systems and frameworks to take the challenge head on. And then I wait. I wait for the perfect moment, I re-plan the ‘big launch’, I symbolically push back and find a date that resonates with me.

But when all that prep is done, I’m still at the start line.

Why am I like this? Over the years I’ve noticed that preparation gives me a feedback loop. Starting doesn’t. So when I’m creating the Notion doc, defining my 30 day action plan or mapping the end-state architecture, I get hope that this is getting real. I revise the doc, add extra steps to the plan, redetermine the architecture. I still haven’t started.

Damn.

So how do I get out of this? I do the work that echoes silence. Work that has no signal, that feels like nothing while doing it. Prep work normally gets congratulations and a pat on the back. Work that moves the needle gets nothing. Hitting publish on this post is the work. I have no idea if anyone will read this or if it’ll land.

I’ll press it anyway because action avoids regret and delivers relief.