Starting Strong and Finishing Well – Part 1
But let’s first focus on how to 'Start Strong'.
Are you the kind of person who always has tons of exciting plans in your mind, but never gets them started? Or maybe you’re someone who starts with full energy… only to give up halfway, struggling to persevere till the very end?
Let’s be honest, starting something new feels exciting. Whether it’s your first step towards financial freedom, your journey to enter a top university, or simply picking up a new hobby — the motivation is there, the ideas are fresh, and your heart races with anticipation.
Maybe you were pumped up to start learning how to invest, to finally understand the stock market. Or maybe you told yourself, “This time, I’m going to study smart and ace my exams.” Or you made up your mind to exercise regularly, master the guitar or even just fix your sleep schedule. The desire was real. The intention was sincere. But then… somewhere along the way — a few days, a few weeks or maybe even a few hours in, it just… faded.
Why? I’m assuming that none of us starts a race just to stop halfway. We don’t begin a journey just to quit in the middle of nowhere. We run to win the race! We chase our goals because we believe they matter. BUT, why is it so hard to follow through? Why do we begin with so much excitement but often fail to carry through? Why is it so hard to get started?
Most people fall into one of the two categories: One, you procrastinate and never get started at all; or two, you start with excitement, but can’t seem to finish what you began.
In today’s article, I want to focus on the first part of the equation — starting strong. Because finishing well begins with starting right.
The Real Challenge of Starting Strong
Most people blame it on procrastination. But if we dig deeper, the real root is often fear.
“Procrastination is not a time-management problem, it’s an emotion-management problem.”
— Dr. Tim Pychyl, Associate Professor of Psychology at Carleton University, Canada1
Why fear? For some, it’s the fear of failure — "What if I try and don’t succeed? There’s this belief that if you don’t finish something well, it’s better not to start at all. Because that way, you have a fallback excuse — “Yeah, I didn’t do great because I didn’t even try,” or “I’m pretty sure it’s not that hard, I just didn’t bother to start.”
For others, it’s the fear of the process itself — "It looks so overwhelming. It’s going to take too long, be too hard. I wouldn’t know where to start." Instead of facing that discomfort, we take the easy way out — reaching for what’s convenient and instantly satisfying, like ³ doomscrolling through social media, watching a short YouTube video or grabbing a snack. Anything but starting. Over time, this kind of fear slowly morphs into anxiety — and anxiety, ultimately, is the enemy of action.
How to Overcome Fear and Start Strong?
To be honest, I’m still learning how to start strong — even now. So whatever I’m about to share with you isn’t some foolproof formula, but simply what I’ve learned through my own experience.
I’ve always been someone who found it easy to justify procrastination — “I’m not in the mood,” or “I’ll start later, when I feel more motivated.” Sounds familiar?
But if I’m really honest with myself, it wasn’t just about mood — it was fear. Fear of failure. Fear of not being good enough. Fear that I’d mess it up before I even had the chance to try. So, instead of starting, I’d delay. I’d wait for the “perfect moment” — which, of course, never really came.
And this pattern continued until one particular experience changed the way I saw things — I was suddenly thrown into a situation where I had no choice but to act. I was elected as the President of a club in high school, with no prior leadership experience, no idea how to run a team and certainly no clue how to organise projects.
My first instinct? Panic.
I wanted to hide, avoid meetings, delay decision-making — anything but take charge. I was terrified I’d mess everything up. But when the first project came around, I had no choice. Everyone was counting on me.
So I told myself, “Just do one thing. Just give one instruction. Just one step.” And that tiny step changed everything. After that first move, the rest started flowing naturally. Step by step, things began to fall into place. The task wasn’t as impossible as I had imagined. The fear was bigger in my mind than it was in reality.
That year, I ended up organising nearly 20 projects — something I never thought I’d be capable of. From never leading a single event to managing an entire year’s worth of initiatives. Who would’ve thought? I realised that the biggest thing holding me back wasn’t lack of skill or experience — it was fear and overthinking.
Once I broke that undesirable cycle of “Overthinking → Fear → Procrastination”, I was no longer stuck and started moving forward. So if there’s one thing I’ve learned — it’s this: You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to start.
Take one step. Do one small thing.
Momentum will follow.
What Took Me a Day in My Head Took 2 Hours in Reality
But it didn’t just stop there. When I started my part-time job as a poster designer, that same fear crept in again. I found myself reluctant to even begin designing, because in my mind, it felt like creating just one poster would take an entire day. I kept thinking about all the effort involved — finding the right content, drafting the layout, choosing the colour theme, picking the right fonts and images…the list of tedious details went on. It felt overwhelming, and honestly, I’d rather resist the process entirely. I’d much rather relax and watch a movie instead.
But since it was a work responsibility, I had no choice but to begin. To my surprise, the process wasn't nearly as difficult or time-consuming as I had imagined. What I thought would take an entire day only took two hours!
The key takeaway? Things often seem harder in our heads than they actually are. Our fear of starting is usually fueled by overthinking and exaggeration of how difficult a task may be. But once you push past that mental barrier and just begin, you’ll realise that the process is far more manageable than you thought — don’t let fear or assumptions paralyse you.
The Pathway to Starting Strong
Here are a few of my simple but effective formulas to get started:
1. Don’t Overthink — Just Do One Small Thing
When you're overwhelmed, don't try to tackle everything at once. Whether it’s replying to that one email, opening your textbook or starting your PowerPoint slides — just do one thing.
You don’t need to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.
Tell yourself: “I’ll do this for just 5 minutes.” Instead of saying, “I’m going to start to finish my whole assignment,” say, “I’ll open my laptop and just write the title.” Often, that tiny start is all it takes to get past the fear barrier — and once you begin, you’re in the flow and won’t want to stop!
2. Accept That Fear Will Be There — Start Anyway
Fear means growth is on the way. And most of the time, the actual process is easier and far less scary than the mental drama you put yourself through.
Instead of focusing on all the negative possibilities, shift your mindset to what success looks like and how you can achieve it. Replace “What if I can’t do it?” with “What can I do? How can I do it?” and remind yourself of the success waiting ahead. This way, you won’t be trapped in overwhelming anxiety but will stay active and motivated to get started. Little by little, the fear fades, and your confidence grows!
3. Lower the Bar — Then Raise It as You Go
Perfectionism is procrastination in disguise. You don’t need to start perfectly. You don’t need your first draft, your first workout or your first project to be amazing. You just need it to exist.
Starting badly is better than not starting at all — because you can’t improve a blank page, but you can edit a messy one.
In a nutshell, the key to starting strong is simple — as the Nike slogan goes, JUST DO IT! You don’t need to be ready, you just need to begin!
Written by: Samantha Chieng
Edited by: Bryan Lue
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