The Beginning

I’ve always loved the beginning. 

The beginning of a good book. A good movie. A new relationship. A new opportunity. A new client. A new job. A new city. 

I always think about the first pages of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when I think about beginnings. I’ve read my copy so many times the spine is broken, but those first few pages hold the promise of what’s to come, the thousands of pages of a story I know like the back of my hand that I’m about to plow through and enjoy like it’s the first time. 

Beginnings hold promise. Excitement. Anticipation. 

They can also bring about fear and anxiety. 

I’m in a season of new beginnings. 

• New city (Nashville, round two)
• New job 
• New apartment 
• New church 
• New community 
• New Instagram venture (more below!) 

And if you’ll recall, I also started my website from scratch a couple of weeks ago and earlier this week, I archived all but three of my 1600+ Instagram posts. All of these fresh start vibes have made me reflect on the brand I want to build and the direction I want to go. It was time to wipe the slate clean and begin again. 

I feel like I’m at the starting line of something really great.

I could feel otherwise. I could feel antsy and restless and afraid and I suppose I do on some level. But I’ve had enough beginnings over the years to see them as the opportunity they are – the opportunity for something great. 

It’s never too late to start at the beginning. 

We often get caught up in thinking we’re too old or too busy or it costs too much money or we have too many responsibilities to start over or to simply start. That’s not the case. We can always begin at the beginning. 

We can also go back to the beginning. 

Maybe you were kicking ass and taking names with your workouts. Your nutrition was dialed in and you were feeling the best you’ve ever felt. But then there was a pandemic and life turned topsy turvy. The gym was shut down and you found yourself Instacarting comfort food after another long day of working from home while trying to help the kids with their homework and being inundated with an ever more depressing news cycle. You might feel disappointed in yourself or like you let yourself down. All valid feelings. But here’s the thing: 

You can go back to the beginning. 

It is okay to go back to the beginning. 

It’s okay to start at the beginning. 

Fear often keeps us from beginning. I like to say both fear and faith are prophetic and fear certainly has a way of supplying us with all of the excuses to not begin – or begin again. We catastrophize and lose hours finding things to distract ourselves (see: scrolling social media) to avoid beginning. 

But the longer we put off beginning, the longer it will take to cross the finish line. 

Don’t be afraid of the beginning, or of beginning again. Embrace it. Step into it. Let it be something new and exciting. 

There’s that saying: 

“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” – Meister Eckhart 

It’s so very true. 

It’s the magic of a new beginning for me. 

Harry Potter or otherwise. 

I hope you find the magic in beginnings, too. 

And if you need it, the courage to begin again.