Starting Up Again is Hard

It's hard getting started and even worse once you stop.

That's pretty much true with anything.  It's hard starting an exercise routine.  It's harder getting back into an exercise routine once you stop.

It's hard enough to get into a writing/editing routine.  Once you stop?  OMG, so hard.

Let's not even think about how difficult it is to start a diet and what happens when you fall off the wagon and start eating all the fat things again.

So, how does one overcome this?

Well, the easy answer is DON'T STOP.  Whatever you're doing, if it's working, don't stop doing it.  But that's the easy answer and we all know the easy answer isn't the most realistic one.  For one reason or another, we all fall apart when it comes to sticking to stuff.

Some people find restarting easier than other people.  Hell, some people make restarting a national sport.  Some of them can even muster the will to stick to doing stuff.  I am not one of those people.  I might be one of the 'national sport' people.  But I keep trying.

Right now, I'm working on getting back into the habits of exercising and editing.  The exercise is going a bit better than the editing.  Both are hard to pick back up again after so long away, though.  Every day, I tell myself I'm going to exercise and edit.  And, most days, I find something else to do. 

I'm not sure what the answer is.  If I had that, I probably wouldn't be in this position.

I think the problem is that when you've stopped for a while, and you go back to whatever it is that needs doing, the whole thing seems insurmountable.  Like climbing a mountain.  It's there and it's huge.  And the longer you stand there looking at it, the huger it becomes.  And you're faced with a choice - take the first step and keep on taking them, or walk away.

Except the mountain will still be there if you walk away.  And you'll still need to get to the top eventually if you want to achieve your goals.

It ain't gonna get any easier. 

So, take the first step.  And keep on taking them.  And if you falter and slip backwards a bit, shrug it off and take another step.

Onward and upward.