How to Take On Big Projects Without Choking

It actually was pretty bad. The snowflakes were small and kept getting in my eyes. About halfway through the run, I got brain freeze from the melting snow in my hair. But it wasn't impossible. And it was kind of fun, in a masochistic sort of way.

But I realized once I was out there that my fears were way more severe than the reality. Other than the visibility, I wasn't that cold.

The lesson: don't make assumptions about what you cannot do. Don't make assumptions about what you can do, either.

Take the first step. Things usually look scarier than they really are, so base your judgement on what happens once you're in it, not what you imagine might happen looking from the outside in.

Another way to look at it is to focus on the step right in front of you.

You don't have to have completed the entire run before you walk out the door, but so often, that's what we try to do in our minds, and that's what scares us from even starting. Nobody does a run in one bite. We do it step by step, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.

So, if something feels overwhelming, check in to make sure you're not trying to swallow it whole in your mind.

KC***