get started

You don’t need to start on a Monday.
You don’t need to start on the first of the month.
You don’t need to start tomorrow.
You don’t need to start in the morning.
If you want to have started? Start now.

I overthought, overprepared, and outgamed myself every time. “I’ll start next Monday,” or “I’ll start next month,” or “I’ll start on January 1st.” – it barely lasted more than a few hours, if it ever really started. And then there was clearly no point in restarting on a Tuesday, or a Thursday, or a Friday afternoon, or so close to the end of the month or year. Until one Sunday evening in October 2019. Having one of my rare “I’m not an alcoholic because I don’t *have* to drink every night” evenings off the sauce. And I finally gave into the really effective adverts from One Year No Beer, and signed up for their 28 day challenge. They asked me when my Day 1 would be and I said “today”. Completely unprepared. That afternoon I hadn’t been thinking about it. That morning, I’m sure I woke up hungover, but no more than usual. There was no “rock bottom” – just a feeling that something wasn’t quite right and was holding me back. If I’d put “Day 1” as the Monday, the next day, the logical first day of a new start … who knows what would have happened. I may have felt more pressure to drink booze that Sunday night, and felt more keenly the pressures of a Perfect First Day. As it was … I schemed my way into it, and was on Day 2 before I knew it! 533 days later … I’m glad for that last-minute decision to slip in under the radar.

When I decided to quit smoking, it was late on a Saturday night, November 30th 2019. I was smoking even more than usual since I gave the booze up. I wanted to quit but didn’t know how or when, and didn’t wantto be a cliché doing it on January 1st. So I chose the next 1st, which ended up being the next day. I had no nicotine replacements, I’d been smoking a LOT for a LONG TIME, and ignoring much of the advice from my wonderful friends in my sober community, I threw out all my tobacco and broke my vape that night. The next day, with tobacconists and pharmacies shut, I had no choice but to just “get through it”, and the following day, Monday was already Day2 … I felt I was through the worst of the withdrawal symptoms, and able to get on with it. I haven’t looked back since. Both times I acted on the spur of the moment and committed to doing something I’d been wanting to do for a long time but never knew how, or never managed to follow through on big grand declarations. Both times it has worked.

If you want to have started something new … don’t wait for tomorrow or next week or when you think you’ll feel ready … today’s the day.
You were looking for a sign? This is it.
Go fly. Imperfectly.
Find out what you need, and get it along the way.
And know that I’m here – working 1:1 and with my wonderful sober support group for women and queer folk. You are welcome with me.
There are many other wonderful communities out there. You are not alone.
Reach out. Touch us (wear a mask and wash your hands).
Dare to start.