The Cost of a False Start

We have all been there...
You dive into something with a lot of energy and good intentions. Then you hit a roadblock that forces a detour or makes you stop altogether.

When the effort feels heavier than it should, it sometimes means you did not start from the right place. That is a false start.

Sometimes it happens because we have bad information or incomplete data.
Sometimes it happens because we overestimate our abilities and underestimate the challenges ahead.
Sometimes it is not intentional. We simply don't know what we don't know.

The problem is that once you are off track at the beginning, every step forward can potentially take you further in the wrong direction. It is easy to confuse activity with productivity, but effort in the wrong direction does not create progress.

That is why false starts cost more than time. They can eat away at confidence, drain energy, waste money, and leave you frustrated.

It takes real courage to stop, admit you did not start from the right place, and course-correct. But that moment of honesty is often where true progress begins.

Real progress does not come from moving faster. It comes from starting in the right place.

Starting from the right place can set more realistic expectations. 

How to Prevent False Starts:

• Be clear about what you want and why. Your motives fuel your commitment when things get hard.

• Be honest about where you are. You cannot fix what you will not face.

• Ask yourself better questions. The truth usually lives beneath the first answer.

• Take your time at the beginning. A slow, honest start leads to faster progress later.

Honesty may slow your start, but it also will steady your steps and strengthen your finish.

Where in your work or life might you be moving fast but not moving forward?

Click here to learn more about False Starts.