Day 24 - Lift Off Requires the Most Energy

November 02, 2024

In this conversation, Guy Reams reflects on the pitfalls of aiming for perfection, drawing from an experience where engineers proposed an ideal but impractical solution for a client. He emphasizes that true engineering, and by extension personal growth, involves working within current constraints and using available resources. Reams highlights how pursuing the illusion of perfection often leads to failure, while embracing reality and designing flexible, resilient plans leads to real progress. He urges listeners to focus on adapting, iterating, and building from strengths to achieve sustainable growth.

Episode Transcript

Guy Reams (00:01.208)
Day 24. Liftoff requires the most energy. Think about a rocket ship taken off. The force needed to break free from the Earth's pull is tremendous, a raw display of energy and persistence. This is exactly what it feels like to begin any life-changing commitment or new habit. The mistake we often make is trying to engineer something that resembles that massive burst of energy, grand, complicated, and overthought.

But the truth is, if you're serious about starting something that lasts, you have to start in the simplest way possible. We've all been there. The first day of a new routine. We're filled with excitement, ready to dive in and transform everything at once. A new exercise program? Let's go all in with two-hour sessions. A new diet? Let's eliminate every indulgence overnight. But soon the excitement fizzles and we find ourselves overwhelmed. The plan crumbles under its own weight.

This happens because complexity breeds resistance. The harder you make that first step, the more energy you need to take it. In the beginning, the focus should be on keeping things as straightforward as possible, like a rocket. The most critical phase is liftoff. You don't need all the bells and whistles to make it off the ground. You just need enough push to start moving. When I committed to writing for Every Day, an example, I didn't aim for perfect essays or a thousand words. I committed to a few sentences, even just a paragraph.

Some days it was like only a line or two, but the simplicity was what allowed the habit to stick. It was doable, it felt achievable, and it reduced the mental friction that tries to hold us down. The success of any new habit isn't measured by how grand it looks at the start, by whether it survives the crucial early phase. Start with a single step you know you can repeat tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. If you want to meditate, begin with one minute.

You want to run? Start with a walk to the end of the block or something. Keep things simple. It's not about aiming low. It's about building a foundation. And once you're off the ground, then and only then can you start thinking about gaining speed and adding more to the routine. Just as a rocket gradually builds momentum after the initial thrust, so does your commitments. Starting small ensures that you start at all. And once you've begun, there's no limit to where that steady path can ultimately take you.