Episode 5: “One Day or Day One: The Power of Starting Today”

This podcast episode is about---NO MORE WAITING. Hopefully you'll be inspired to start today! Whatever it is that you desire to start....you've got this! Let's Go! 

Faith in Action // Change in Motion

Transcript

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well, hello sweet friends. Welcome back to the podcast. I am excited again to have another episode of the Change Chasers podcast. And so the whole idea is that we are all going to be growing as we are going. And so with that thought, the whole idea in today's episode is that we're gonna get to talk about one day or day one. So the power of starting today and what does that mean really? You know what, how can we have real life application? And so the idea of choosing to pursue change and self-growth and make decisions that will lead to change in our lives and, you know, helping us to be able to be who we really, truly desire to be. And so today's episode will hopefully lead us each to be inspired and explore how small changes today can, I think, create big, create just some big transformations for tomorrow. And so again, my name is Mandy and I'm having a blast being the host of this podcast. And so I just wanna say again, thank you so much for the gift of your time today, that I do truly hope that it is time well spent. As you are sipping your favorite drink, or maybe you're riding down the road and you're just choosing to pop this on as you are out and about, maybe you're taking a walk in the sunshine. And so whatever you are doing as you're listening, I hope that this brings some encouragement to your day and it truly is a gift to be with you. And so thanks for. Choosing with me to make today a great day. So now let's go ahead and get started. Today we will, as I've already kind of mentioned, we're gonna be tackling a powerful mindset shift of one day or day one. Now, let's just go ahead and be honest. How many of us have ever said some of these statements before? One day I'll start that project. I'll pursue that dream, or I'll make that change one day. I'll lose that weight one day. I'll get around to it. How many times have we all said, oh, I'll get around to it. I'll get there, I'll, you know, oh, snap, crackle, pop. Right? I mean, y'all, I've said all of those things. More than one time. Some of them I've said a bunch of times, right? And so when I go through and I think about those statements and the power that I've really kind of allowed them to have over my life is because I don't always get to that one day, right? But if today, y'all, given the pivot of perspective and the ideas we are choosing to be change chasers that what if today could be day one? What if the only thing standing between you and your goals is the decision to begin? So let's spend the next few moments together exploring the difference between waiting for one day and choosing day one. Why getting started is the hardest but most important step and how to take practical steps toward making today your turning point. And so my hot take number one is. The one day mentality. We've all been there, I think. Right? We've all had our daydream and time and our Oh, yes. Right. Our wonderful ideas and things that I. We are hoping for that, we're dreaming for, that we're aspiring to accomplish and achieve and be able to sit and soak in such a sweet way that it's like, ah, a dream come true. And so when I think about different things that may, we may be dreaming about in the future, I think it leads me to even thinking though, with some goal setting mindsets of, I've said this before, that one day. I'll start eating healthier, right? I won't hit that drive through. I, I want get that pizza delivered. I mean, like, whatever it is, maybe that's not you. That is, you know, whatever, right? Whatever your one day fill in the blank is. Maybe one day you're saying, one day I'm gonna write that book, the Lord's put it on my heart. People have been telling me I should tell my story, or I should create this devotional, or I should write. This awesome book that's going to just, I mean, people are just gonna love it, right? One day I'll write that book. One day I'll take a risk and I'll follow my passion. One day I will, you fill in the blank, whatever your one day aspiration is, goal Dream, all, I mean, whatever it is, whatever it is that you haven't necessarily put into action yet. I'm hoping that maybe this particular episode will inspire you to kind of stop and think about what are your one day, I'll blank, blank, blank, blank, do whatever it is, right? You fill in all those blanks and so when I stop and I think about kind of where we're at though with the truth of the matter is, is that one day often never comes. And here's my points I wanna make on this. And as I was preparing for this, I was thinking through. The number one. Why? For me, I don't know about y'all, but my number one, why has been perfectionism paralysis? Perfectionism, paralysis. We tell ourselves that we need to wait for the perfect time or the perfect circumstances, right? I don't know about y'all, but I'll just say that I can't really say that there's really ever been a perfect anything. In my life, other than the love of the Lord. And so when we tell ourselves, oh, we'll just wait for the perfect time, perfect circumstances, then that gets us stuck in the muck in the middle of our mess and we're not able to make progress. And so my point number two is y'all, we have fear of failure. I think whenever we get caught up and why our one day never comes is because. We have fear of failure. Starting feels risky, right? I mean, what if we fail? What if we don't live up to our expectations? What are people going to think? Right? We, we will get caught up in, I will call it the ugly C word comparison. And so fear of failure is real. I also think that another point I wanted to make on this part is I. Why our one day kinda gets stuck and we don't ever get to the one day is'cause our comfort zones, right? It's easier to stay where we are than face the discomfort of change. Change is not easy. Change is not always enjoyable either, is it? I know that whenever we have growth, I mean they're gonna be growing pains and you hear all these expressions and stuff such as that, but. It's worth it. I will say that whenever we're choosing, you're listening to a podcast that literally is called Change Chasers. And so the whole idea of being willing to step out, step up and get out of our own comfort zones can be a game changer for us. And so the whole idea of not continuing to say one day I. Whatever it is that you wanna fill in the blank on, but to be able to say, okay, well, you know what the reality check is, is that the difference between one day and day one is a single decision and that is the decision to start. So even if it feels messy or imperfect. All this podcast is a straight up example of that for me. And so I feel really messy doing this in the sense of like, I feel like,'cause I don't know what I'm doing. You know, I'm, I've told y'all before that the whole idea of it feeling messy or imperfect or uncertain and just kind of been trying to learn and teach myself. As I'm going through this process and there's been other things in my life as well, just trying to figure out, and I will say like, I am the queen of watching a YouTube video. Anybody else? Maybe you're raising your hand as you're walking, as you're driving, as you're whatever, like mm-hmm. Yeah, me too.'cause I'm a visual learner so I can watch a YouTube video. I've put up a back splash in my kitchen. I learned to lay tile in my bathroom and install a toilet in my bathroom. I've learned how to put down. Engineered hardwood flooring, and I mean all these things.'cause I'm like, well, it's not in my budget to pay somebody. And so I've watched YouTube videos and taught myself like how to do these things, right? And so trying to figure out how to edit a podcast and all of that, I'll tell you that I'm, I'm gonna be real and tell you, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I've been feeling called and have the desire to start this podcast. Is it being a goal? For about four years now, but I will be real and say that my lack of knowledge and knowing how to edit the wave files and all of that tech savvy stuff, to me it has just, it's remained daunting and difficult. I did try, people don't really know it, but I'd put out one episode before. And it was a hot mess express. I deleted the wave files on the different layers of it and didn't know I had, and I'd put in all these sound bites and spent all this time and spent like four nights, four hours in a row or four days in a row for four hours. And oh my, it was crazy. I was seeking to make that goal of getting it out and. People would listen to it and they said what few people did. It was just a handful.'cause I didn't share it with anybody else'cause I was too embarrassed. But they said it would just be a pause. And what they didn't know is I had originally had soundbites and all that in there and spent all this time. And so I'm just saying y'all that. I am just really grateful though,'cause you know, I persevered, right? I figured it out that God has continued to nurture my heart through the gift of other people speaking words of life and affirmation into me and saying, Hey, if you start a podcast, let me know. I would, I. Love to listen and so even though it sadly has taken me around four years to figure out this editing software and all of the to-dos, I guess I will say that I get to say actually that today that Hey, y'all, it's better late. Then never, right? So maybe you've got a goal, maybe even a divine assignment that keeps lingering in your thoughts, in your mind or in your heart. And so, you know, I wanna encourage you of just considering, perhaps you too can decide, you know, what today is the day. And having that mentality of just start, right? Nike says, just do it. And so just start. And so my hot take number two is why starting matters. Choosing day one is powerful because point number one is momentum breeds confidence. Starting creates momentum. And so the first step might be small, but it builds courage and energy for the next steps. Number two, time is finite, right? Every day we put something off is a day that we don't get back y'all. So starting now ensures that you're making the most of your time. I don't know about y'all, but I want to treasure time. I think every day truly is a gift, and that's part of why, honestly I'm doing this and'cause I wanna grow, right? I wanna grow as a person. So all this I'm putting together, it's just as much for me as it is you guys who are so kind to give you your time to listen. And I hope that it's helping us all right? Because the reality of it is, is that we need to make the most of our time truly. We don't know if we're gonna have tomorrow. You know, point number three though, is progress happens in the process isn't, that's such a great thought. That progress happens in the process. The journey transforms us, and you don't have to be perfect to start. You just need to start to get better. One of my favorite quotes, I'm actually gonna share two with you today in thinking about this, is that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And then also what you start today changes tomorrow. So make it good. Right? Take that single step. And then, hey, start today. So hot. Take number three. Day one, mindset, how to get started. So action, step number one is break it down. Break it down, break it down, right? Don't worry again, bullfrog going through puberty. I will not go forward with singing anymore, but I'm trying to keep you awake, right? Um, I wanna say that I think about big dreams can feel overwhelming. Breaking them into small actionable steps, it makes them manageable. My mentor often tells me, Mandy, just do the next thing. Isn't that such great solid advice? Just do the next thing. You don't have to have it all figured out. The way I see things in life oftentimes is it's kind of like this timeline and I'm, here I am and then I'm like, here's where I wanna get right? And I always just kind of see like this timeline of, oh, we gotta do this, this, this. And then I'm always looking at the end goal though. Whereas my mentor helps guide me and say, Hey, just do the next thing. I love that you have an end goal vision, but you gotta do these steps to be able to get. To accomplishing that end goal, right? So maybe that's for you as well of just do the next thing. And then also ask yourself, what's one thing that I can do today to move me closer to my goal? And so, thinking about this some, maybe an example is that if your dream is to write a book, don't focus on finishing the whole manuscript. Start by outlining one chapter. Or writing 500 words, right? Maybe trying to do 500 words a day. 500 words a week is still better than zero, right? And so I wanna just share sweet friends that I actually, I tried this method and I'm so pleased to tell you that it works. And thankfully, writing my book did not take four years like starting this podcast. So it is a process that if it's a dream of yours as well, then hey, start today. My action. Step number two is let go of perfection. Perfection isn't required to start. In fact, starting messy is better than not starting at all. So hopefully I'm inspiring you as you're with Hot Mess Express here and you're being gracious and giving of your time. And so starting messy is better than not starting at all. So just start. And also on this, I wanted to make the point to give yourself permission to be a beginner. And then some encouragement that I also wanna give you guys is, remember the first draft of anything is just the beginning. You can refine as you go, but only if you take the first step. So my action point number three is set a deadline for day one. Turn one day into today by committing to a specific day and a time to start. So even better. Hey, what's wrong with just starting right now? Right? Once you, you get done listening to the mouth of the South here, then hey, go ahead and get that journal out or your notebook, your notes in your phone, and just start journaling some ideas, topping all that in, and just saying, all right, after this podcast episode, here we go. I'm just gonna start right now here. What, what are some dream bigs? What are some things that you want to accomplish? And so ideally, I'd love to give you a practical tip that you could put into practice and think about is write it down. And so like I'm saying, pull out your phone computer. Notebook, tablet, sticky note like, Hey, whatever it is, back of a napkin. I mean, whatever you got with you, right? And so whenever you can put a goal or action step on paper, I think that it makes it become more real, right? You see it, you, it's tangible. And so the whole idea of that is, you know, to be able to be practical and how can you also challenge yourself to grow and sharpen yourself as well. And so action point number four is find accountability. I. Knowing that we're better together and that we can do things so much more easily and efficiently if we're not trying to navigate. Challenges and changes by ourselves. And so finding accountability is share your goal with someone who can encourage you and challenge you. So find those friends your safe places that are willing to encourage, but also challenge you through your journey. And so knowing someone is cheering for you or checking in, I think it can really be a powerful motivator. My desire for all of the, the new personal growth and challenging myself to grow and do bigger things that are pulling me out of my comfort zone have revealed to me who my CEOs are in my life, my CEOs, and if you can't understand my country accent, I'm saying CEO. And that is to stand for chief encouragement officers. And so I was thinking through that and I'm like, yo, I have some really, really awesome friends, and I hope you do too. But some of these sweet friends have just been so kind to me and encouraging me and just uplifting me and telling me they're praying for me. And you know, just it's, it's a gift, right? And so find your CEOs and those people who are going to be willing to journey through these new adventures of pursuing self-growth and being a change chaser. Right? And then. Pay attention to who they are and then make sure that's who you're linking arms with more. And that you guys are going to be a scripture says the, like iron sharpens iron so that you can sharpen one another. And so thinking about who those folks are and just having the idea of being willing to listen to what they have to say. So then that can just breathe some life and encouragement.'cause I think when we listen to those folks that it is way more. Then the one or two naysayers. So hot take number four are stories of people with their day one, right? And so thinking about people who have lives that they have lived, and I mean, you just see the transformation that's happened, right? How cool it is. And so an example is a friend of mine wanted to run a marathon, but kept saying one day I'll start running. And after years of waiting. They finally decided to make today their one day. And so they started by running just one mile, and then fast forward a year, she was able to cross the finish line running her first marathon. How cool is that? Right? It was a goal that she set out and she was able to literally run to accomplish her goal. Pretty neat. And so the lesson with that is I think that the dream didn't happen overnight, but it started the moment. My friend, she said, Hey, you know what, I'm, I'm gonna stop waiting and I'm gonna start doing, so maybe that's a little takeaway nugget for you today is stop waiting, start doing story number two, thinking about a career pivot is that another friend dreamed of starting their own business but was afraid to leave their secure job. And so he finally decided though that to make day one. The day that he wrote a business plan and it wasn't perfect, but it did give him the confidence to take the next step. And so now my buddy is thriving in a career that he once only dreamed about. And so when you stop and you embrace this whole idea of this change chaser mentality that I'm hoping that we are able to grow together in, is that every success story begins with a single decision to start. So just start right to be willing to say, all right, here we go. I'm going to go like, you know, we're going, growing as we're going, as the mentality is. And so when I stop and I think about hot take number five that I wanna sling your way is turning today into day one. So here is how you can make today your day 1.1. Choose one area of your life and then thinking about. Where have you been saying one day, right? Whether it's your health, your career, your relationships, personal growth, identify the area that you wanna focus on, and then take one small step. Start simple. What's one action that you can take today to move closer to your goal? I think it's also really important to celebrate pro progress, right? Celebrate progress, not perfection. Again, y'all. Perfectionism. Oh man, it is such a, I mean, I just think that it can bring you down that stinking thinking and where we get all caught up in comparison. And so I wanna encourage you celebrate progress though not perfection. Acknowledge that every step forward, no matter how small progress is worth celebrating. So my hot take number six for us is hope for the journey, right? Choosing day one is just the beginning. The road ahead might be challenging, but every step is a victory. It's all about the pivot in our perspective, right? And choosing to just continue to move to take that next step and that next step and that next step, or just do the next thing. So my closing hot take thought for us all is that y'all, we don't have to have it all figured out. You sweet friend. You don't have to have it all figured out to start. The key is to begin where you are with what you have and trust the process. Remember, every great achievement in life started with someone deciding to take the first step. So our call to action, our change chasers challenge our C3 time for this week is that number one, I want you to think about an area of your life where you've been waiting for one day. Then make today your day by taking one small actionable step. Number three, share your story maybe with me or somebody else in your life. I mean, you can find me on social media. I'd love to hear how you're turning your one day into day one. How super cool is that whole mantra of an idea of embracing that. That today can be your one day. You know, your day one, sorry, instead of your one day. And so the whole idea of just knowing that here I am over here cheering you on and letting you know that, hey, I am so excited to hear about all the ways and just to see the growth of those that are in my circle, I get to do life with. Or maybe you'll reach out and I can hear, but the reality of it is, is that you've got this, I believe in you, and I think that. What you start today truly does change tomorrow. So, sweet friends, I hope that you'll embrace that mentality of almost like you're, you know, you're, you're an athlete and that arms up in the air and you're like, let's go. Right? And having the passion and encouragement I. And so if this episode has encouraged you, I wanna ask you if you'll share it with a friend who needs the push to start their journey. Don't forget if you will go ahead and subscribe to this podcast for hopefully more encouragement and strategies to help you create a life of purpose and progress. Thanks for tuning in to today's episode. Remember the difference between one day and day one is the choice that you make today. Until next time, keep moving forward and chasing your dreams. I have no doubt if you do that, you are going to keep chasing change and living with purpose. Goodbye sweet friends.