“You just need to take the first step.”
Sounds simple, right?
But in real life, that step is rarely the beginning.
Because the first step is never the first step.
It’s just the first one other people can see.
Because the first step is never the first step.
It’s just the first one other people can see.
What We Call “Stuck” Might Be Preparation
If you’ve been sitting in that space between knowing and doing, wondering why it feels so hard to move you’re not alone.
And you’re not behind.
And you’re not behind.
What feels like “nothing” may be the most important part of your growth.
I work with smart, capable people who find themselves in transition.
They’ve invested years in a career, a business, or a role that once fit until it didn’t.
They feel something stirring… but they hesitate.
They’ve invested years in a career, a business, or a role that once fit until it didn’t.
They feel something stirring… but they hesitate.
They haven’t “stepped forward” yet and they beat themselves up for it.
But what they often don’t see is that they’ve already been moving all along:
But what they often don’t see is that they’ve already been moving all along:
- Letting go of an old identity
- Imagining what could come next
- Battling fear, doubt, and resistance
That internal work doesn’t always look like action but it is.
So yes, the first step is never the first step.
And when that visible action finally comes, it’s never just one step.
It carries the weight of everything that came before.
And when that visible action finally comes, it’s never just one step.
It carries the weight of everything that came before.
What looks like resistance is often quiet recalibration.
The Role of Inertia
Remember Newton’s First Law from physics class?
A body at rest stays at rest, and a body in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.
A body at rest stays at rest, and a body in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.
That principle doesn’t just apply to physics it applies to us.
To our habits, routines, careers, and identities.
When you’ve been still for a while, it can feel incredibly hard to get started.
And when you’ve been moving in one direction for years, it can feel just as hard to stop, shift, or change course.
And when you’ve been moving in one direction for years, it can feel just as hard to stop, shift, or change course.
In life, we often call this being stuck.
But sometimes, inertia is wisdom.
But sometimes, inertia is wisdom.
It’s a pause.
It’s recalibration.
It’s your body and mind catching up to what your heart already knows.
It’s recalibration.
It’s your body and mind catching up to what your heart already knows.
The hardest decisions leaving a career, pivoting a business, embracing reinvention at any age aren’t delayed by laziness.
They’re delayed by meaning.
They’re delayed by meaning.
We don’t stay because we’re unmotivated.
We stay because we’ve invested so much.
We stay because we’ve invested so much.
We tell ourselves, “I’ve come too far to quit now.”
But that’s the sunk cost fallacy the belief that the time, energy, or identity we’ve invested means we have to keep going...
But that’s the sunk cost fallacy the belief that the time, energy, or identity we’ve invested means we have to keep going...
Even when our gut knows it’s time to change.
You’re Not Starting Over You’re Starting From Experience
If you’re in that “not quite moving” phase, give yourself credit.
What may look like a delay is actually part of the process.
What may look like a delay is actually part of the process.
Reinvention begins long before it becomes visible.
So when you finally take that first outward step, remember:
- It’s not the beginning.
- It’s not just one step.
- It’s the continuation of every quiet, brave moment that got you there.
Let’s Connect
If you’re standing at a crossroads between what was and what could be you’re not alone.
I help people who are in the midst of change navigate that messy, meaningful middle with clarity, courage, and strategy.
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