I always feel a strange kind of paralysis that comes from waiting for the “perfect” moment. Monday, New Year, when the weather is better… I tell myself I’ll write the book when life calms down, start the workout when I buy the right shoes, throw the dinner party when my kitchen is done. But the truth is, perfect moments rarely arrive neatly wrapped with a bow.

I often think about this quote, from tennis player Arthur Ashe:

“Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can”

as a reminder that momentum matters more than ideal conditions. That magic often lives in the messy, imperfect, “I guess we’re doing this now” moments.

It’s about looking around my home and realizing I already have ingredients to make something: the half-forgotten art supplies in the closet, the recipes tucked away in your bookmarks, the comfortable shoes that aren’t Instagram worthy but will take me on the walk I’ve been putting off.

It’s not about lowering standards. It’s about removing excuses. I don’t need a grand overhaul, a complete rebrand or a shopping spree to start. I just need to… start. “The doing is often more important than the outcome.” That Ashe, what a insightful man! Sometimes the simple act of showing up, stirring the pot, planting the seeds, typing the first messy draft, changes you in way a “finished” result never would. The process has its own rewards and you can’t get to them without taking that first step.

So here I am, starting. Coffee in hand, hair slightly greasy, a list of barely legible, but wonderful ideas scribbled in a notebook. They say the secret is once you start, the rest tends to fall into place. Like dominoes lined up, just waiting for that first nudge. One small action sparks another and, before you know it, you are further along than you ever imagined, wondering why you waited so long to start.