“It is the job that is never started that takes longest to finish.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien

It is good to have a plan, because without a plan it is difficult to know when we have strayed from pursuing our goals.  Nearly everyone I’ve met during the first two days of 2012 has wanted to know, “what are your resolutions for the new year?”  Some have resolutions to share.  Some have formed intentions about the way they want to be as they greet the life that comes their way.  Some of us are starting out fresh in new directions, and some are vowing to stay the course toward goals that span more than a year’s time.  There has been a lot of talking about hopes and dreams, about goals and aspirations; and now it is time to act.

The excitement begins when the talking stops and we put our words into action.  For some reason, it seems that there often is a large gap between the decision to begin something and the time when we find the courage and the stamina to break free of our inertia and take the first step.  Especially when our plans are big and our goals are lofty, we can become intimidated by our own ideas so that we develop a bad case of inertia.  We would rather plan, re-plan, and over-plan than take the first step that commits us to the long journey ahead.

Today is January 3.  If you have formed your goals, your intentions, your resolutions for 2012, it is time to stop planning and jump into your adventure.  The journey through life is a long one; but time is an elusive trickster, for the longer we live the more aware we become that our time on Earth is precious and short.  When we decide to embark on a new adventure, the time to start is now!  It is good to have a plan, because without a plan it is difficult to know when we have strayed from pursuing our goals; but it  is good to pick up our plans and step onto the path.  We never know what unplanned adventures might lie along the way, and we never know when we might arrive at our destination.  One thing is certain, though —  we will never arrive unless we begin.