Second Steps are Still Baby Steps

As a triathlete, I’ve learned one of the great lessons in life is… It takes less knowledge accomplishing a thing then it takes doing that thing! I know a lot of folks who talk about things but that seems to be all they do… talk about them. Then I know people who do things but don’t talk about them… at all. Of course those are two opposite extremes and most people I know lie somewhere in the middle. So, where are you?

What keeps people from talking rather than doing? I believe many people who talk the talk actually talk it quite well. In fact, they are some of the best talkers on the topic they’re talking about. Some are intent to be just talkers… college professors for example. Some are just hobbyists… baseball fans who know an entire team’s batting averages is another example. But what about those who don’t teach or play ball, say those who appreciate music? What’s keeping them from picking up a guitar or sitting at a piano? I have a few ideas.

Fear is the biggest deterrent from doing! First, there’s the fear of the unknown. Most people find trying something they’ve never done before the most daunting of tasks. It’s easier to do what you know. Especially as you get older staying with what you know, hoping to at least perfect that thing, is better than charging off into the world of being a beginner.  Which leads to the next fear… fear of failure. Some are at least willing to attempt something unknown but want guarantees that the outcome will be good, or worthy of the effort. However, since there are no guarantees of these things people would rather play it safe with proven successes regardless of how small they may be. Next is the fear of disapproval. This is a big one for children. Because others may see something in someone, which they wished they had done themselves, there is an imposition of bias thrust upon the doer. So when someone has an inward desire to do something which goes against someone else’s hope… they fear they’ll be a disappointment, disliked or minimized. Finally, there’s the fear of success! Yes, you read that correctly. I believe there are those who choose to do nothing and talk a good talk because to attempt and succeed often requires repeat performance thereby exposing all the other fears eventually in time. Why? Because we all know, given enough time, someone will come along and do it better.

Laziness is the next cause for talking about something without attempting it. I don’t need to give a lot of examples here. You know them, you’ve seen them… you’re currently dealing with your own. Lack of energy, desire or purpose often keeps people on the couch and I’ve wondered, “We all have the same amount of time, same physical abilities and personal inclinations right? No and Yes! Each day has the same 24 hours in it as it does for others. No one person is completely immobile – everyone can do something and regardless of how tired you are there’s got to be one idea of what you’d like to do if you had the time and ability. It’s not whether you should do something but rather what you can be doing that needs to find an answer.

Lastly, there is knowledge… yep! You may say… my ability and desire is one thing but I’m still not going to learn how to play the piano or build a rocket unless I know a few things! Granted, but what you know is disproportionate to what you do! After you learn the rules or technique it’s practice, practice, practice!

There is something you need to do and you know it… fixing a broken relationship, starting a business, a ministry in the church, giving to a charity… who knows, maybe doing your first triathlon. So, get over your fear of what you don’t know or your need to know what you already know and get up off the couch and get going!