When You're Standing at the Trail Head

Every meaningful journey begins at the same place: standing still long enough to decide to move.

For a moment, we survey the scene, consider our options, evaluate risk. We ask if this is something we genuinely want to do. Then, a decision happens. After all, we are women of action.

Let this be the month you stop admiring the life you want to live and start building it. You’ll still have concerns and see challenges that try to derail you, which is normal. When those moments arise, consider these insights to keep you moving.

Here’s what often shows up at a new beginning:

This photo of me was taken over ten years ago, in telluride, co. no doubt, i was thinking about where i was, and where I wanted to go next. It wasn’t long after this trip that red & rugged became a kernel of thought.

• Excitement mixed with uncertainty - part of choosing a new path is embracing the unknown. Lean into the excitement. Here’s what I know: when the mystery looms large, find evidence that you are capable. “I am capable” is a believable, calming trait that I find most people will adopt. Try it on. 

• Comparing your beginning to someone else's middle - when all the influencers and “everyone” (usually exaggerated) is doing “better” by your assessment - ask yourself: Are they in their first month, an initial launch year, or am I looking at their results after a decade of consistent effort? Usually, it’s the latter, which isn’t helpful to measure against. 

• Waiting until you feel completely ready - there’s no such thing, period. You’ll never have full, complete data on every aspect. When you’re not ready, be willing. 

• Forgetting that confidence grows while moving, not before - Confidence is in the doing, not the waiting (or reading, or researching). 

Use these four practical actions to get you started:

• Choose one next step instead of planning twenty - you don’t need to know the next five years to start. Too many things shift in year one; you’ll revise and tweak as you learn. 

• Celebrate movement rather than perfection - done is better than perfect. Be proud that you are trying something new, different, and willing to learn and grow. Most people never leave the comfort of their current situation (even when it’s miserable); they’re too afraid of change. You’ll have lots of good stories to share around the campfire. 

• Let curiosity become your compass - ask yourself, what if this is possible? What would success look like for me? How can I make this work? 

• Trust that clarity often arrives after you begin - just like confidence, most things become clear in the movement. Some elements you just can’t forecast or imagine until you start. 

A reminder: Every path you've admired was once someone else’s scary first step. 

They didn’t have all the answers either. Like you, they decided to move with courage and confidence - as a capable problem solver.