13306: Initium Est Dimidium Facti
Hey there, hero!
So there’s some new idea or class or skill you’re facing. You’re juuuuust at the precipice of getting underway.
How valuable is the simple act of starting that, and not putting it off until later (or not following through at all)?
As the Roman poet Horace said in Epistles, “Initium est dimidium facti”, he’s reminding us of what James Clear calls “the timeless importance of simply beginning the task at hand.”
What’s the translation?
“Once you’ve started, you’re halfway there.”
I’m not sure you realize just how powerful simply taking that first step is.
So, here’s my reminder of how energizing that is, and how limiting the hesitation to start can be.
Is it easy for you to take that first step? If so, how dies it feel? And if not, what are you fearful of? Let me know in the comments below.
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Raw transcript:
Raw transcript:
One of the things I’ve noticed about how
I teach, what I teach, and observing the
students that I I serve and the clients
that I serve is that one single moment
just before they start something,
something new, some project, some
process. And I want to give you a little
reward for just being on that precipice.
So, let’s do that in this episode of the
VO Heroes podcast.
I’m going to totally screw this up
because the Latin that I had in the
fifth and sixth grade escapes me from
time to time, but think about this.
Anitium estimidium
faci. And what that means is
once you start, you’re halfway there.
And that’s not a joke. That’s not a um a
pie in the sky kind of thing. Think
about the times that you’ve thought of
doing something and never even started
the process. Never even set aside time
to do it or just to research it or
whatever or you just thought that’d be a
good idea and then you finished your
dinner or whatever. Right? So once
you’ve started, you’re halfway there. Uh
you know u this this quote is from
Horus.
um in epistles and I’ve heard a lot of
people kind of quote it and some of them
have said really yeah really
because when you think about the people
in your life those of you that are
performers those of you that are writers
and the people that aren’t performers
and aren’t writers are like well I could
do that I mean it’s not that hard you
know it’s great that you’re doing it but
you know really it’s not that hard
you done that would you like to do that
and if you have why haven’t you done
that? But giving yourself the credit for
just starting something being right
there and moving that first foot across
the doorstep right across the the door
the door jam into the vestibule of
exploring through this building. Right
once you’ve started you’re halfway
there. Let me try one more time.
Initiium estimidium faci. And if I’ve
mispronounced that, please let me know
in the comments below. And let me know
what your thoughts are on this because
it can give you an tremendous feeling of
accomplishment just to begin things.
Now, finishing them, that’s for another
episode. Uh or continuing them and then
finishing them, that’s for another
episode of the podcast. But just think
about that process and how many times
you’ve actually done those things. And
for those of you who have purchased my
courses and maybe thought, “Well, that’s
what I need to do.” Why don’t you start
them? Why don’t you start the work on
them? And for those of you that have,
congrats. You’re great. I love you. And
I love the people that haven’t started
yet as well. I hope you do. Uh, hit the
like button. Let me know what your
comments are below. Uh, if you’re on
vioheres.com, you can subscribe to the
channel. You can click the notification
bell uh to be notified when there’s a
new episode. You can share this with an
artist who just can’t quite seem to pull
the trigger on something. He can let
them know, well, look at all you’ve
accomplished just by starting, right?
I’d love if you did that. I’m David H.
Lawrence, the 17th. I thank you so much
for watching and for listening, and I
will see you in the next episode of the
VO Heroes podcast.
(from YouTube)
Time to get back to a couple of things that I have started. Thanks for the push!
Right on the money as always, thaks for the reminder David!
It is not too late if you start now.
I love Latin quotes! I hadn’t heard this one, thank you. It was encouraging. I will teach it to my Latin high school students!
(FAHK-tee is the classical pronunciation vs FACT-eye)
“The beginning is half of the deed.” But I like your translation better. “Once you start, you’re half way there.”
Thank you again for this encouraging word.
Truth! I find that whenever I have a hard time starting something, there’s one question that helps defuse anxiety and capital-R Resistance (gloriously taught to me by my 4-year old son). And that question is:
“What do you need?”
Stupid powerful!