Let Your Mind Warm Up To New Ideas

I saw a running meme the other day that really resonated with me.  The message was that the first few kms of a long run are often the hardest as your mind needs time to warm up....I think that this is something that is important to remember no matter what the task at hand.  How often have you decided to set a goal or try something new.  You get that excited and nervous feeling about the possibilities of what lies ahead, what success will feel like and how great the new accomplishment will be.  Then out of nowhere those little voices start to chime in, reminding you of the last time you tried something new, of past attempts that may not have worked out as you wished, how hard it was to work towards something new and perhaps how disappointed you felt when it didn't end up the way you had planned.  Often this is all we need to stop and reevaluate our idea and perhaps even put it back up on the shelf in the box marked "one of these days". 
Thinking about the idea of your mind needing time to warm up to new things, what if those voices were just your mind's way of staying in bed....by putting up these alarm bells and warnings, it is allowing your mind to not even have to put one foot on the floor....it can stay snoozing in its warm bed just a little longer.  So how do we allow our minds to warm up without losing sight of our dreams and goals?
Acknowledge the past, and be gentle with yourself for times when you had a stretch goal and the outcome wasn't what you had hoped for.  Growth comes from adversity and if we always succeeded we would never have the chance to actually experience true development and progression.
Also acknowledge that any new adventure is going to come with its own set of challenges and perhaps a few setbacks that you CAN work through.  Put thought to what those could look like and how you will address them if they arise.  It could be a matter of reflecting on what has happened in the past and finding a new way to overcome an obstacle that back then seemed too high to cross.
And while you are taking time to think about what potential detours could come your way, also take some time to write down why you are even pursuing this goal - what it means to you, what you will consider success and how that will feel. 
Athletes swear by preparation and ensuring that they have time to warm up sufficiently before any important physical challenge.  Why not incorporate that same discipline into our daily pursuit of personal goals and challenges?

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