5 Tips to Help You Start a New Project

Last updated: April 3, 2020

Start a new project
Photo by William Iven on Unsplash

If you’re thinking about starting a new project or business, then these tips will give you a gentle nudge to take action.

1. Start with what you have.

Most people won’t start a new project because they don’t have professional equipment to perform their ideas. Yes, in the long term you’ll need to invest in special equipment depending on the project. Perhaps you’ll need a professional camera to take pictures for your website, or a good laptop to edit your pictures and videos. But some of the most successful entrepreneurs I know actually started their businesses with what they had. Marie Forleo, for example, started making videos with her mobile phone on her couch until she could afford to rent a proper studio.

When you are passionate about something, you will want to start right away. It won’t matter where or how, you’ll find a way. Because not doing what your calling is telling you to do is a form of suffering. It’s just a delay in what could become an extraordinary lifestyle.

Not doing what your calling is telling you to do is a form of suffering. It’s just a delay in what could become an extraordinary lifestyle. Click To Tweet

2. Define your why.

When it comes to starting a new project, ask yourself why you are pursuing a certain project/business in the first place. I’ve heard many people say, “I want to start ‘x’ thing to make a lot of money.” Of course, if your work is exceptional, money and recognition will arise. But starting something just for the money is never a good enough reason to do so. It’s important to do what you’re doing because it brings you joy and because you enjoy the process. When we focus our energy on the things that we love and are passionate about, we’ll naturally succeed.

Sometimes we can get trapped in the noise of what others are doing, feeling the need to do the same. But are we really honoring our true selves by doing this? This is why it’s important to be really honest with ourselves.

Before starting something new, write down your why and ask yourself how starting this new creative venture is going to help improve the quality of your life and others. If you cannot think of an answer to this, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.

3. Don’t wait for the perfect time.

There is no such thing as the perfect time. Many of us wait a very long time before starting to do something because we are afraid it won’t be good enough. But we have to understand that whatever we practice we will improve at.

Perfection is often disguised in procrastination. Waiting to have enough money so you can afford everything is another waste of time! When I started my online business, I was cleaning houses. I did not wait to quit my day job to start my own business. Instead, I used the money I made cleaning to invest in it.  Having a day job actually helped me get started. If I would have waited for conditions to be perfect, I would probably still be in the same position, doubting my talent, or even my ideas.

4. Learn from the bad too.

Don’t feel discouraged if things don’t go the way you expect them to go at the beginning. Great projects take time. You’ll make mistakes, but these mistakes will make you wiser and stronger.

However, don’t only learn from your mistakes, learn from other people’s mistakes too. I am in the process of becoming a better writer, and we all know writers have to read a lot. I love reading good books, but I read crappy books too. But crappy is good. Otherwise, how would we know what is good and what isn’t? Sometimes I go back to my old posts and say to myself, did I really write this? They’re wordy, repetitive, and out of topic. Reading my old posts encourages me to write better ones.

5. Make priorities.

The number one excuse when it comes to starting a new project is not the lack of tools or expertise, but the lack of time. “I don’t have time” is an excuse that will kill your dreams. If you really want to succeed at your new project, you have to be willing to give up certain things. Reduce the amount of time you spend on social media and focus your attention on things that will benefit your business/career. All that time you spend texting on your phone could be spent working on your new project.

There’s something greater hidden within you. Do you have the courage to bring it to life? Share your ideas in the section below.

 

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Author: Jessica Araus

Jessica Araus is a mixed media artist and illustrator living in the Netherlands.

4 Replies to “5 Tips to Help You Start a New Project

  1. I LOVE the point on “starting with what you have”. It’s way too easy to come up with excuses and reasons not to do something. These days all we really need is an internet connection and an idea. Great post, and thanks for the inspiration. 🙂

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