#015: How do we get started?
Idioms, celebrations, guide questions to starting anything, and more tiny yet precious life moments
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How do we get started? Should we call in P!nk? Forgive my lame joke but if you live where I live, calling in ‘pink’ represents something hopeful right now, somehow a promise of a fresher start, so yes, we shall call in some pink. Haha!
Pink also represents good health, as in being in the pink of health, and that’s something I’ve come to really learn as one of the vital things in taking the first or next steps. Remember when we were once led to believe that our best work would ever only stem from our darkest, saddest, or lowest points? I struggled with that because it never held true for me. To successfully create something, I need to be in a good place, even if only momentarily. (Who is consistently stable, though, pray tell?)
Remember also all those things we claimed were required to deliver good work? Observation and experience have constantly told me otherwise: Good work comes from a determined and resourceful heart, and not necessarily from a full shopping cart.
What about those times we needed to ask God, the stars, the universe for that perfect time, that certain moment, that specific sign before we do anything? Well, those never went away for me because I still do it, heh. The funnier thing is, regardless of whatever my interpretation of an answered prayer or wish is, it often only takes me one push. From whom? My willing and able self.
But the question remains: How do we start? How do I start? I wish I could give you a foolproof answer, but truly, I just start wherever I am, with whatever I have, whenever I feel like I can. So yes, call in all the idioms because I’m checking their attendance: strike while the iron is hot, seize the day, carpe diem, live in the moment, go go go todo na ‘to, bigyan na ng jacket (okay, maybe some of these aren’t exactly idioms), and call in all those widely spread quotes about “focusing on the now” and “just doing it” because they are present in this classroom too.
Mind you, it’s not always as efficient or effective. I get that some people function better when things are structured, complete with an outline, timeline, and an assessment form of the whys and hows.* Goal-setting and planning are indeed key to getting to a place where we can call something as “completed” or “successful,” whatever those can mean at a given time. And of course I still get that feeling of fear. I share that feeling of doubt. And whew, all the mistakes and failures. But those won’t go away, unlike that one shot, one opportunity that can disappear just like that. So I try not to mind my palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy; when that moment hits me, I own it, and I don’t let it go. (Hit that heart button if you get that reference.) I call myself in, and I create for me, first of all, and then hope for the best.
*Here are some questions I’ve tried to ask myself. Let me know if these work for you!
What do I want to do?
Why do I want to do it?
When do I want to do it? How important is it to do it at that chosen moment?
Can I afford to do it?
Do I have the tools, skills, and motivation to do it?
What do I want to get out from doing this? Why do I want to get that from doing so?
How does doing this make me feel?
⭐ Featured
I celebrated my birthday a couple of weeks ago. Here’s a post from my journal, and some photos from that day (Twitter below, Instagram here [for friends only]). Thank you for all the love!
...Word of the Week — Binisaya: palit, which means to buy. In a sentence: “Lakaw, palit ug suka. (Go buy vinegar.)”
...Word of the Week — Ilocano: nangina, which means expensive. In a sentence: “PHP200 per kilo? Nangina met.”
...Signs of the Week: I don’t get to catch up with my Deaf friends a lot so my signing is rusty. To practice, I would sometimes mute the evening news on TV and then watch the interpreter on the bottom of the screen. It works! I’ve learned plenty of new words. One of my favorites is ‘fully vaccinated.’ Look closely; you’ll identify it right away.
...Books of the (past) Week(s): I’m closer to my goal of finishing 70 books for this year (I have talky vlogs on my Patreon)! Here is a flip through of my journal (Jul~Sep 2021); check out the information box for the list of books.
...Projects:
Simple How-to on my Patreon: Guides to beta reading and proofreading
^ This special content is for those who want to start offering services in beta reading and/or proofreading. I’ll also post about being an alpha reader/accountability buddy soon! Want to talk to me about any of these? Book a session here.
SEA Creator Club (launching on November 18!)
That’s it for now! I hope you picked up something fun or useful! See you in the next one. ☀️