My boyfriend started 2020 by breaking his ankle mountain biking. A fracture. A sprain. Some torn ligaments. I mean, go big or go home, right? 

Jason’s fine, but doctors didn’t want to rush the healing process since the break was at such a pivotal part of the ankle. He’s had to keep his weight off it. Hobble on one foot…since January.

We’ve been waiting for the bone to heal. And then waiting some more. Throw in a global pandemic, and I think you’re feeling our pain.

Finally, last week, seven long months later, Jason got the green light to start walking on it and begin physical therapy. Baby steps.

As exciting as it is, Jason isn’t tap dancing in the rain. He’s still on the road to recovery. His first steps have been a little painful, cautious, and unfamiliar. Those bones and muscles have to learn to support him again. He was a little hesitant at first, but he’s
pushing forward. He’s doing it. One uncomfortable foot after the other. 

This got me thinking about life. How do we react when we are confronted with taking baby steps? Sometimes we jump right in. Cannonball. Sometimes we’re cautious. Maybe we dip a toe in. Ooh, the water’s a bit cold. Sometimes we simply freeze in our
tracks. Can’t move. That first step feels way too daunting. So, instead, we do nothing. 

What is all that procrastination costing us? I’m constantly coming up with new ideas for things I want to pursue, but executing them doesn’t always happen. Or I put it off.

Why is that?

It boils down to one ugly word: fear.

At its root, procrastination is almost always based on some kind of fear.

What am I afraid of, exactly? I bog myself down with the what-ifs. What if it sucks? What if people judge me? What if I never finish it?

Here’s an even scarier one: What if it’s good? Then I may have to keep doing it. What if I don’t want to keep doing it? 

Another crazy one: Who am I to do this…or that? Don’t I have to be an expert? Maybe I should wait until I can learn to be an expert? There has to be a class I can take. A certification? There’s already somebody doing this. Maybe I should just let them do it.
There’s no room for me. They’re so good at it. I can’t be as good as them.

The list goes on and on. Welcome to my brain.

Sound familiar? 

Whether it’s a big dream or something small, I’m hoping to give you that sweet little nudge to get whatever your thing is going. What could be your first baby step?

One thing I’ve been sitting on is incorporating my love of meditation and voiceover.

Well. I can’t just spout this stuff. I have to live it. I literally just took a two-hour break from writing this blog – to make this:

Wahoo. I just took my own baby step. What do you think??

No offense. It doesn’t matter what you think. ��

It matters that I took the leap. THAT was my baby step. And it didn’t kill me. Who knew?

So…

Where could you go today?

Where could you place that first baby step? 

Before you freeze, remember, the greatest guarantee to never finish something is… to never start.

Namaste


Julie Slater, aka THE LOTUS FLOWER, looooves music – a rabid fan and musician. You may recognize her voice – she’s a voiceover artist, audiobook narrator, and podcast host (www.julieslater.com). 

Julie has DJ’d on top stations: 88.5 FM and 100.3 the Sound in LA, and 92.3 K-Rock in NYC following Howard Stern. She’s also a news anchor on NPR station 89.3 KPCC in Pasadena. 

Our lil’ lotus spends her time meditating, doing yoga, candle making, and cooking. She has a slight obsession with deep, dark cabernets & small batch whiskey. Namaste!

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