Starting: The Great Separator
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Do you want to be a success? As you know, many obstacles can keep even a highly-motivated person from succeeding. But today I want to talk about the ONLY obstacle that will ALWAYS keep us from success: Not starting.
Starting is the Great Separator. It separates…
- The doers from the do-nots,
- The haves from the have-nots,
- The winners from the whiners, and
- The successful from the unsuccessful.
If a desire were enough, then everyone would be a success. But success is like a book, and starting and finishing are the front and back covers. Until you open that front cover, you can’t experience anything from the pages within.
So how do you get started?
1. Start with Yourself.
If you’ve ever flown on an airplane, you’ve heard the pre-flight instructions about the oxygen masks – which drop down from the ceiling in the case of emergency. If you’re traveling with someone who would need help, who do they always tell you to place the mask on first? Yourself! They want to remind you that you can’t help anyone else get oxygen if you aren’t able to breathe.
Starting with yourself is not a selfish goal – as long as you’re not doing it for your benefit alone. By putting on my oxygen mask, I get the oxygen I need in order to help others get oxygen. As a leader, I obtain what I need in order to help others succeed.
2. Start Early.
I can’t overstate how much you gain from starting early. It’s something you can’t really understand or grasp when you’re young. One creature that understands this principle is the ant. Consider what the Bible says in Proverbs:
“Go to the ant, you sluggard;
Consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
No over seer or ruler,
Yet it stores its provisions in summer
And gathers its food at the harvest.”
-Proverbs 6:6-8
The activity of any individual ant seems to have little impact. After all, it can only carry one seed or leaf or grain of sand. And it’s not clear what any single grain has to do with the big picture of what is being formed. But regardless of how it looks from the outside, the impact is happening, and something is developing.
Whether you are trying to lose weight, build a business, build a marriage, raise a child, overcome a pattern, resolve a depression, or build a business, it is done the same way: one brick at a time. And the earlier you begin, the more bricks (or grains of sand) you can accumulate.
3. Start Small.
Most of us would love to see the entire path from where we are to the top. But life doesn’t work that way. Like a person carrying a lantern, most of us only see the small portion of the path ahead. Our best response is to just take the next step.
Why start small? It encourages you to get started and allows you to prioritize and concentrate. It also provides the necessary step to take the next step.
Like the person carrying the lantern, your path will only be illuminated a short distance ahead. We’ve all walked home in the dark. The lantern we carry may not illuminate the house, but it does show us the path that will take us there.
4. Start with The End in View.
John Wooden, an American basketball coach, was known for his focus on preparation. Every practice kept the goal – the next game – in view. Why? Because, as he said, “It’s too late to prepare when opportunity arrives.”
First, pursue your passion. A passion, a goal that you feel strongly about, gives you energy. Next, let planning give you direction. The beginning of the journey is the place to study the map. You may not always know the entire route, but your planning should always point in the direction of your destination.
5. Start now.
It’s too easy to say, “I’ll start tomorrow.” We promise that tomorrow, we will start a diet, studies, a career, or a relationship. But until we actually begin, a dream remains a dream.
It may be a cliché to say that every journey begins with the first step, yet it is still true. Successful people don’t wait for everything to be perfect to move forward. They don’t wait for all the problems or obstacles to disappear. They don’t wait until their fear subsides. They take initiative. They know a secret that good leaders understand: momentum is their friend. As soon as they take that first step and start moving forward, things become a little easier. If the momentum gets strong enough, many of the problems take care of themselves and talent can take over. But it starts only after you’ve taken those first steps.
[...] John Maxwell says starting is the great separator [...]
John, I really like the second point about starting early. I am 25 and sometimes my youth and lack of experience is a problem. Many people do not like to listen to people who are younger than them. I want to be able be a motivation to others with my life. In order to do this I must start young. My age may be seen as a downfall to others but to me it is my best resource. I will be able to “accumulate more bricks” Be blessed.
Sir John you are a blessing to me.
Thank you John for that beautiful and informative post. It was truly God-sent, right on time!
Start Now Indeed. But it’s the holiday season, then the dead of winter when it is too cold to begin anything. Then Spring Break and, and, and. Successful leaders act. The single biggest reason for failure is failure to act. The unseen gets increasingly clearer with each “next” step.
Thank you..Rhema Word for us.Your articles are really equipping us to move forward.
Years ago I would always help set up for Chruch and tear down after Church The theme of that Church was “Every journey begins with one step.” There is a lot of truth in this
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TO COMUNICATE GREAT&IMPORTANT THINGS….ESSENCE IN LEADERSHIP/LIFE IN A SIMPLE WAY. THIS IS “JOHN MAXWELL STYLE”! WE THANK YOU FOR IT!!!
‘One brick at a time, the earlier I begin, the more bricks I accumulate…’ Great lesson and insight! Thanks sir!
Excellent article ! START first ! Take the Lead
Starting Now! Thanks John!
Of all the things that are being presented in this page, i like the pic in which bikes are ready to zoom into track. It says “Don’t start in haste, you many be ruled out of race, and don’t wait once u get the green sign, you will be left behind…”
Great article. I realize that its always better to start early that late. the more you wait to start the more difficult it is to start and the greater the sacrifice you will have to make when you eventually start. the only way to begin is to begin.
thank you John
Truly a leader I can look forward to & look up to in wisdom. I’m a young entrepreneur & this post discusses much of the ways to my success. He is right, the path can be dark sometimes yet we must step forward.
If you don’t start you cant finish. Reminds me of the analogy about waiting for all the lights to turn green before going to the store. You’ll never get there. Start early and attack each obstacle along the way.
Thanks John. A timely message that is absolutely true. I was thinking about this topic the other day, and you’ve really boiled it down to the simple truth of the matter.
I used to think that it was because I was able to make decisions faster than others that I succeeded, but in reality it’s just because I was getting started early.
Thanks for the inspiration!
great more of it
Great post, thank you. I appreciate your analogy that this is the front cover of the book and the back cover is finishing. I look forward to reading more about finishing as well!
What a word at this time for me. I believe God calls us to, above all else, follow His leading and nudging for THE NEXT STEP. Your reference to “start small” by taking “the next step” is right on point w/ what God has been teaching me lately. Gotta go use some “extra” time to start a meeting I’m in charge of…matters not that the attendees won’t be there for an hour! I’m going to START EARLY!
Dr John, the words here I must say is just for me and I appreciate God for your life. The most important thing for me now is getting started. Thanks
You must have been in my conversation at lunch as this is something that I was talking about to a friend of mine prior to reading this post. It’s so true, if we don’t ever start then our dreams will never become reality.
Wow, my buddy shared this with me, and of course, it was written for me. Thanks for the succinct reality. I’ve got to print this out and keep it in front of me as a reminder. I’m off to get started…
Victory – by Herbert KAuffman
You are the man who used to boast
That you’d achieve the uttermost,
Some day.
You merely wished a show,
To demonstrate how much you know
And prove the distance you can go…
Another year we’ve just passed through.
What new ideas came to you?
How many big things did you do?
Time…left twelve fresh months in your care
How many of them did you share
With opportunity and dare
Again where you so often missed?
We do not find you on the list of Makers Good.
Explain the fact!
Ah no, ’twas not the chance you lacked!
As usual — you failed to act!
Sir John Maxwell, what a lovely post. What a great talk in due season.
great post, i love it as its inspire me to make my plan in reality, im at doubt last night but now go..go..go…
god bls!
I am forced into a situation of taking action. I am gaining more and more momentum each day.
A whole new life is waiting for me to explore it.
Thank you so much for your timely messages. I hope to be able to inspire people the way you do.
May God continually bless you as you lay down your life to serve Him and His people.
I can second the point about starting early. I’m in the middle of about 5-6 cases where just stick-to-it-ness and minor actions sustained over a long time are culminating in several breakthroughs for some ministries I lead at my church. So, I can definitely attest that one of the greatest forces for positive change is just letting your efforts be multiplied over time, and the earlier you start that earlier you’ll see the effects multiplying.
”Making a millions of friends is not a miracle ,the miracle is making a millions of Leaders” John Duot Duong
I invite all the ISTL Alumni leaders on 19th of December 2010 Graduation Ceremony and the Chief Guest will be Rev. Dr Solomon Kyengo. I welcome you all!!!
John, I became a Christian at the age of 19, soon afterward began working at my local church as a custodial assistant. The ministerial staff planned to attend one of your conferences in Birmingham, AL. At the last minute someone had to cancel and there was an open spot which I was invited to take. I had no idea that within 12 months God would call me into the ministry. That conference gave me a passion for personal growth that has not been quenched till this day. I can’t imagine how different my life would be, if I had not crossed paths with you at the start of my journey. Thank you.
Zach Terry
Pastor, Capshaw Baptist Church
[...] Takes initiative and is consistently self-motivated to take action and create desired business resul… [...]
This is a great post. I love the picture that was used to depict getting started now. I grew up on motorcycles in the California desert. When you are riding you have to make split second decisions or you can go down. Motocross is the same way. You have to start thinking before the next turn. Great post!
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“Making a millions of friends is not a miracle ,the miracle is making a
friend who can stand with you when the millions of friends are against you” I invite all the ISTL Alumni students on 19th of
December 2010 Graduation Ceremony and the Guest ministry will be .
Bishop Elijah A. Arok. I welcome you all!!!
I am proud for MLM
I am re-reading Talent Is Never Enough and this is a great reinforcement. Thanks
I started a new project last month but things don’t go as fast as I want. I was just wondering whether I didn’t start too early. But now I know what to do. Start small, then build one brick after another. Thank you John.
And this quote is also inspiring for me : “It’s too late to prepare when opportunity arrives.” Everyday is an opportunity to get prepared for the opportunities to come.
Be blessed John.
[...] John Maxwell says that starting is the great separator [...]