What took me so long?

Did you ever do anything, and then wonder why it took you so long?

I’ve lived near the Rocky Mountains for almost 20 years; I’ve wanted to go camping—real camping—for most of that time. This weekend I finally did it!

Now that I’ve done it, I realized doing it the first time wasn’t such a big deal, and doing it again will be much easier! I’m over the first-time hurdle!

It did take a few things to fall in place.

I needed someone to go with. I could go camping with just my dogs, but going with a friend who also wanted to go was a real help in organizing and also feeling safe.

Resources. There is all the camping gear you need. Another friend gave me her old camping cooking stuff (pots, dishes, etc.) plus a water container and lantern. This was a huge help; guess I didn’t even know where to start before that. After that, I picked up a very warm sleeping bag and tent on sale for really cheap. Watching for sales and bargains is key if your income is limited like mine.

Learn from others. I got online to find camping packing lists to figure out all the stuff we needed to have on hand. Why reinvent the wheel when you can learn from others?

My experience did have to have a convergence of several things. These are likely things you need to do what thing you’ve wanted to do for so long.

• Vision: Picture yourself doing it.
• Desire: Want it enough to put in the effort, including planning and putting together what you need.
• Resources: Get creative. Watch sales, borrow, think about how to re-purpose what you have.
• Time: Take time. You will need to carve out time to plan, prepare and actually do the thing! Timing is essential. For example, I prefer camping in summer rather than winter!

Here are a few questions you might ask yourself:

• What do I really want to do that I haven’t tried?
• What is holding me back?
• What would it take to make the thing happen?
• Who might share my vision and have the same desire?
• When would I like to accomplish the goal?
• How might it make me feel?
• What might it do for my self-esteem?
• Do I think it might get me over the initial hurdle and kick start me into doing it more often?

Guaranteed, the thing that seems so huge before you do it gets put in proper perspective after you’ve tried it once. And you will likely feel much better about yourself for having tried.