How to start doing some thing we have always wanted to do?

It is always hard to start some thing. The human brain has a sharp memory and this memory works wonderfully at retaining painful events. For our brain any thing can be painful for which it has to build new neural networks.

To understand neural networks imagine four different points A, B, C and D in a horizontal plane. There could be so many different ways to reach from point A to point D: ABCD, ACBD, ACD, ABD.  Now imagine 9 billion such points and imagine the possibilities of different pathways for reaching from one point to another. In our brain these points are called neurons or brain cells. And our memory to a large extent depends upon the neural pathways from which electrical signals move from one cell to another brain cell.   To construct each new pathway brain has to do some extra effort.  As Henry Ford truly put it :”Thinking is hard work which is the real reason so few people do it.”  So when it comes to start some thing that we have previously not done, our brain tries to send electrical signals to the already known and established neural pathways rather than to construct new pathways. As a result we tend to find ourselves giving a list of excuses. One interesting observation is that we shall be providing the same list of excuses whether it is to start a new boutique or to start an exercising programme. The type of activity does not matter. Our mind is quite sharp enought to customize the  excuses as per the activity, but the nature of excuse would remain the same.

Another game our mind plays with us is to gather all the negative feed backs from our own experiences or heard stories, collects them, piles them up for us and warns us that the same could occur to us.  Our mind shouts on us: “Hey! you did try to jog previously as well, you failed. What did you get besides some extra effort of evening hours and the same bulge of tummy fat around your waiste?” It warns us against the pain of failure or losing expectation.

The fact is that we ourselves create and literally become the biggest barrier to start some thing which is even essential for improvement in the quality of our life. The question is how to over come this barrier?

The answer is yet simple, but lies in doing. Here it is. Just take the first initial step. Take the first small, tiny and micro step. Do not take the full step, just raise your foot to take it. You want to start a business, just pick up your phone and call SECP for registration. You want to move to Canada or Australia or study in UK, just pick up the fone and talk to the person or agency handling that. You want to start your own firm, just get your visiting cards printed. Just think of its name and write it down. Just make a logo on your own personal lap top and consider it your first office. You want to to start exercising or go out for running, just wear your shoes and close the door behind you. Take the first initial step. That is only what is required. Your brain would soon learn that it was just afraid of nothing. No huge disappointments would occur if you keep on doing the same and our brain quickly learns this lesson.

The good new is that it only takes two times to initiate the neural pathways for a new habit. Two times and the first path is formed. Two more times and it becomes stronger. Two more times and it forms a regular pattern. Two more times and you start enjoyin. Two more times and your brain starts to wait for that activity. Two more times, and if you dont do it, your brain teases you. Two more times and your body starts accepting the new routine. Two more times, it becomes a part of your muscle memory. Two more times and you miss it when you do not do it. Two more times and you start to reap the fruits. Two more times and your brain stops taking it as a burden……..

So you want to start running, just wear your shoes and close the door behind you !