Living in an era of instant gratification, there are times where success can seem so fleeting. Especially in a time where social media dominates our lives, validation and comparison with others is becoming more and more of a trend. If your not driving the fastest car, living in the most posh house or flicked up with celebrities every week, is it worth it? All or nothing is not a sustainable lifestyle.

If we can merely shift our perspective and find more joy in the process of success rather than the end goal, our output will be much more efficient. You don’t need to be number 1 or number 2 at something, just work hard and success comes from seeing your improvement. How we view ourselves, what we believe we are competent at, can make us hesitate on even starting something new. It all comes down to this; whether you’ll be the best or the worst at it, are you willing to start?

We can run scenarios over and over again, but unless you start the fumbling and bumbling of starting something new, you’ll never know how truly good you’ll become. When you are planning on starting new, there is roughly a 2-3 week hurdle where you have to learn the lingo and the basics. Once you pass this starting phase, you’ll see yourself improve quickly. The best thing to do is use this as leverage to continue to improve your skill. Before you know it, you’ll be able to brush shoulders with people far more experienced than you.

Whether you end up as the best is irrelevant. When you start something, pushing yourself to provide means way more than what you actually provide. Having the vulnerability to take a start on something new is really a skill.

Everything that represents a happy and healthy lifestyle- relationships, health and creativity- is all based upon the act of starting again and again. It doesn’t take the best to be fulfilled, you just have to be in the game. You can always ask for advice from people who are more experienced than you, as more often than not, these people will be more than willing to share their insights. Be patient with the journey and your rewards from starting the path will mean more than the gold that lies at the end of the road.