By Nadine Araksi, Toronto-based Story Coach

“I just don’t know where/how to start!” 

Often when we meet women who feel stuck or unable to move forward, it’s the starting that stops them from moving forward. Somewhere along the way, many people pick up a subconscious aversion to starting from where they are, with the tools and information they have at hand. Sometimes we’re thinking too far ahead and getting overwhelmed, and other times we are stuck in the weeds of finicky details. If you’re a perfectionist, starting from where you are can be especially hard. Not knowing where to start is frustrating, for sure, and typically leads us to procrastination or avoidance. We often see clients (OK, we coaches can sometimes be guilty of this, too!) procrastinate on starting in myriad ways:

• Too much time spent in the research phase;
• Creating too-rigid plans and giving up when one piece doesn’t fall where expected;
• Starting anything but the thing they mean to. We’ve coined a bunch of terms around this: Procrasticleaning, Procrastibaking, Procrastiwriting and so on. Sound familiar?

Approach your problems like a Wordle puzzle

So how do you get over a fear of starting? The ability to jump right in is a meaningful skill in life that materially impacts our outcomes and how we feel about ourselves, and yet most of us are never taught how to do it. In comes Wordle, the daily online word puzzle that’s taken the world by storm (ooh, two five-letter words I’ll have to bank for future Wordles!). Are you playing yet? Stephanie and I enjoy our daily Wordle puzzle attempts, but we REALLY love it as a coaching example.

How to Play Wordle

To play Wordle, you get six tries to guess a daily five-letter word, beginning with five blank tiles. Each day, for the chance to solve the puzzle, you just have to start. You have no clue if that first word is even remotely close to the final answer. There are no clues yet. Just five blank tiles, waiting for you to fill them in and collect data on whether you need to throw those first five letters out or whether you’ve got something to work with. Millions of people do this every day without knowing where to start. Sure, some people research “best Wordle words to start with,” but there is still no guarantee that your choice of vowels and letters will be helpful to the daily task at hand. And amazingly, no one I know hits “Enter” on that first word and then judges themselves with a, “Wow, I only got two letters on that first try! I must be an idiot and should just give up.” No! Millions of us are committed to seeing it through, tracking our progress and sharing our results. What?!

Coaching teaches you to approach your life like a Wordle

We often imagine starting on our goals, habit changes or tasks as though we need to push a boulder up a hill. But getting into alignment means you’re living your life with the mindset of, “Ooh, how might I solve this?” What if you could remain curious and playful while testing various paths to where you’d like to go in life? How might it feel to start with that lightness? The results are mind-blowing. Imagine living with less mind drama, getting started with ease, and choosing a way in without second-guessing yourself. Imagine your current life or habit change feeling like a fun puzzle with daily challenges you’re excited to figure out? Spoiler alert: with the right tools and support, it CAN be THAT simple. Ready to tackle the c-h-a-n-g-e in “challenge?” Ready to explore the unimagined paths to the win? Book a conversation with Stephanie, where she’ll assess your current reality and desired results. She’ll explain how our program applies to your specific situation to help you get clarity and decide if Kickstartology is right for you.

P.S. Find out how to work with me if you're ready to break the patterns keeping you stuck and get out of your own way: Let's talk.

Book a free coaching exploration call and I will tell you everything you need to know and what results you can expect with my group coaching program for women or 1-on-1 coaching.

Free: Get unstuck with our mini starter course:

KICKSTART: THE FIRST STEP

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