Begin Anywhere

This past week, the suggestion from Bruce Mau's "Incomplete Manifesto for Growth" was "Begin anywhere. John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. His advice: begin anywhere." This sounds much easier that it was.

When I consulted, we had a phrase "paralysis by analysis" referring to projects and managers that need more and more information before a decision can be made. I see "begin anywhere" as very similar. I can think about starting. I can think about doing. I can even think about the end state or goal. But all that time, I'm only thinking. I'm not doing. I'm not moving. I strongly believe that moving, however fast or slow, no matter the direction is ultimately better and more productive than thinking, planning, and analyzing. With movement comes momentum.

The other aspect that occurred to me is that since everything is a process (I've talked about that before) and the focus is on the process not the goal (also discussed previously), the process is already in progress, even if we haven't jumped in yet. To put it another way, just start. There is no beginning or starting point. There is no goal or finish line. Those are artificial ideas we dream up. It is sort of like running to catch a moving train. I'm here and the train is approaching. Where is the starting point? Where I am? Where the train originated? Do I need to go to where the train started and wait for the next train? No. Start running and jump on when the meets up with you. So the next inevitable question is, where is the train going? Where do I jump off? My question in response, does it matter? I'm moving. I'm doing. I can jump on and off at my pleasure. And just because I jump off does not mean I'm at the end.

So the moral of the story, as Nike so nicely put it, Just do it. Go. Start today. Move. Make something happen. Watch how things, especially you, will change as a result.

This week I will be investigating "Everyone is a leader. Growth happens. Whenever it does, allow it to emerge. Learn to follow when it makes sense. Let anyone lead."