StartStories
Stories about STARTers!
Three Ways To Bump Your Start to the Next Level
by Sean Nisil When I began this journey, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Lured in by the mystery, anticipation of adventure, and the promise of a good fight, I laid out a road map, took a deep breath, and left the Shire (Yes…I went there. You’re welcome.). In my travels, I learned a few things. Perhaps they will help on your own journey beyond your door. 1. Claim Your Dream As the modern philosopher Gotye put it, “You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness.” Up to this point, you’ve sat on the fence while Fear claimed victory over your dreams. But once you hear the trumpet sound, comfortable discontent is no longer acceptable. It’s time to rise to your feet. Of course you want to do more, feel better, be different, but here’s the thing: in order to live with passion, inspire others, and impact the world, you have to believe in yourself first. At the end of the day, the buck stops with you. Send that dream out of your head and into the world. Tell your friends and family. Tell your co-workers. Put it on your social media profiles. Tattoo it on your face (#allthecommitment). If you want an awesome, dangerous, and adventurous life, stop hiding and be honest about your dream. Now. 2. Plug Into Community The genesis of the START Experiment was the idea that Fear hates community. The START Experiment is a group of dreamers and misfits who have learned to embrace who they are as individuals and as a group. If you haven’t found a tribe (big or small) who encourage and equip you to take risks and achieve greatness, it’s time to start looking for that group of people. Large groups of encouragers are like an auditorium, while your trusted inner circle is like a classroom. The large group will support you with stories of success, helpful information, and hilarious pranks to alleviate your stress. Within your inner circle, you can dig into the details and daily steps of your goals. You cannot achieve your dream alone. A group of like-minded friends will help you find that critical tipping point that makes all the difference. And one more thing–there’s nothing quite like seeing their dreams come true, too. 3. Get STARTed As W. Clement Stone puts it, “Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.” Don’t worry about perfection at this point. Just start. Maybe you can’t punch Fear in the face on day one. That’s okay. Start by stepping on its toe. Then poke it in the eye. Before you know it, you’ll be throat-punching Fear in the morning and giving it flying round-house kicks all afternoon. This is your chance. This is your life. Get STARTed. Sean Nisil is a writer, speaker, and financial coach. Read his blog at www.SeanNisil.com and follow him on Twitter...
Read MoreGood Therapy // Sydney & Sandy Clegg
My name is Sydney. And I’m awesome. At least, that’s what my family tells me. After you read my story, I bet you think I’m pretty awesome too. Oh, I forgot to mention – I’m a duck. Are you surprised? Don’t be. There really are a bunch of us around. You just don’t notice us. Or maybe you get us confused with our cousins, the geese. Don’t tell anyone, but they can be somewhat annoying with all the honking. I’m sure you are wondering what I’m doing here on FrankenSTART. What’s so great about a duck – and why in the world would feathers be part of Feature Friday? Well, like I said – I’m not ordinary. Neither is my story. My family saved me from a place called freezer camp. I’ve been told it’s not a camp at all, and no duck I’ve ever known that’s gone there has returned, so I’m not feeling too good about the place. Seriously, who likes camping, anyway? The day after my family brought me home, I had an encounter with a wild parrot named Coo. He jumped up and bit me on my beak. Can you believe it? That is some nerve starting a fight with a baby duckling. I guess I was a tough duck, though, because all I ended up with was a scar. I also fought off a vicious monster attack one night when my sister and I were sleeping outside. The monster kidnapped her, but I survived. I’ll spare you all the details, but let’s just say I had a difficult childhood. I felt completely ordinary. Luckily, things started to look up pretty quickly. My brothers started taking me on walks in our neighborhood. It was awesome! I got to see new houses and sidewalks and trees. I even got to the chance to swim every now and then. I ran into some of my friends, the Mallards. They weren’t very nice to me, and wouldn’t swim with me. Apparently, I didn’t fit in with them. But that’s okay. I loved the fresh air and the cool water, even just for a short time. I left my flock a long time ago, but I often wanted to go back. I wanted to be with my friends and family in a world that was safe and familiar. I wanted to be with other ducks. I didn’t understand this world with humans and their strange language. But, slowly, over time, they brought me into their world. They were different. They were loving, and kind, and wanted to make a difference in the world. So I decided to make a change. I decided to move away from feeling ordinary. I decided to become an overachiever in a non-feathered world. I’m not sure she knows it, but I helped my Mom find an ad in the paper for the Humane Society. They were looking for therapy animals. I didn’t really know what a therapy animal did, but it sounded like a pretty cool adventure to me, and I wanted in! I made sure she saw that portion of the paper that day. I had to make a little mess to do it, but it was worth it. At first, I think she just dismissed it. But, I kept bringing that paper back in front of her. And then she did something crazy. She sent them an email! She didn’t tell them I was a duck. Honestly, I was a little offended by that. But, the lady who responded actually guessed I was a duck and wanted to meet me. Can you believe it? Instantly, Mom was concerned. She has yet to figure out how to potty train me. I don’t even know what that means, but I will tell you I will NEVER agree to it. Potties are disgusting, and I am not going anywhere near one. After we met with the Humane Society, they told us I could now start visiting nursing homes. Mom seemed pretty excited about that. It took me a little while to get used to the...
Read MoreObedience // David Bouchard
David Bouchard Adventure. Risk. What did I get myself into? I didn’t know what to expect when I signed up for the Start Experiment. The pendulum of my life was already starting to swing from ordinary to awesome when I spotted the fateful blog post. I had been focusing my life on listening to God and seeking His guidance. It had become clear that He wanted me to write. He had given me an idea for a book. He had even delivered it in an incredible package. Gift wrapped, with a huge bow on top. Yet I had been refusing to act. I had actually just made the decision to finally start when I found out about the Start Experiment. Is writing an adventure? Is obedience awesome? Although the goal that I shared with others was a specific writing goal, in my head my goal was really an act of obedience. It doesn’t matter if what I write gets published. It doesn’t even matter if anyone else ever reads it. The important thing is to write. Not because of some clever idea I have, but simply because God asked me to. Once the experiment started, I connected with some incredible people. I rediscovered how passionate I can be about the dreams of others. I truly delighted in reading about what the others were up to…whether it was trying to meet the president or attending a yoga class. I rejoiced with every success and encouraged others through every challenge. See, I rediscovered that I’m addicted to life change in whatever form it takes. I discovered that the relationships are much more meaningful than the risks. In addition to all that, though, my simple act of nearly insignificant obedience has resulted in substantial change in my own life. An outsider would notice the change in my sleep schedule. This night owl has been getting up at 5AM for about seven weeks in order to write. If you could look much deeper than that, there is also a rekindled connection with God. I see Him working again. Not just in my life, but in the world around me. I have definitely missed these glimpses. God has done some pretty crazy things in my life. Awesome things. It’s been quiet for too long, though. Now I feel like I’m hitting a spiritual peak at exactly the right time. My wife and I just returned from our third mission trip to Brazil. And at the end of the month, I’ll be a chaplain at our county fair. These times are always full of ministry and God’s presence. More significantly than that, though, my family and I have taken in a 17 year old girl that needs a home. She’ll be living with us as she finishes up her senior year. Like writing, this isn’t a “short term” event. This is a commitment made through love. This is daily obedience, even when it’s hard. God used the Start Experiment to teach me that it’s not only possible, but it’s also important, to disrupt life for the sake of obedience to Him. He often uses the little things that we do every day in order to prepare us for the big things He has planned. God-sized “awesome” is way better than anything I could ever do on my own. So… adventure? Risk? Awesome? Sign me...
Read MoreBigger Dream // Ashley Revely
Ashley Revely In Round 1 of the START Experiment, I was a wallflower. I didn’t buy into the thought of successful community maintenance with strangers via Facebook. I wasn’t even sold on the dream that I was dreaming. Then, in the second round, I decided that it was a “get what you give” scenario. I let myself dream and ended up finding my real dream. I have lost 55lbs in 5 months, and have chosen this START round to ditch the scales and numeric means of tracking progress to be as body-positive as I can. My ultimate goal is to lose 60 more pounds, get my fitness certification, and become a body positive fitness coach. I was encouraged by others to dream bigger. I shared my heart and now it swells with the sense of belonging I now have. I jump around in subgroups and am really active on #STARTsingles, but I love the main group too. While I love the thrill of likeminded individuals, I also glean from dreamers dreaming different dreams. I even found someone doing what I am longing to do, and would have never found her otherwise because her goal isn’t in the same subgroup as mine. I am thankful for the START Experiment. ...
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