Make the First Move

It takes courage to make the first move.

I can hardly believe we are at day 43 already. What a gift traveling this road has been. And it all began with a first move.

It takes courage to make the first move. Usually this phrase is reserved for the beginnings of romantic love, but I believe the boldness it takes to tell another that you love them is the same boldness it takes to decide to climb a mountain or change jobs or write a book.

I remember years (a lot of years) ago when I gathered my courage and awkwardly told my girlfriend that I loved her. She ran away and cried. To this day I am not sure if she was so overwhelmed with love or if she was completely horrified. But she did marry me and tells me she loves me back every day now, so I guess it was a good first move.

Anything worth doing will take courage, and making the first move toward doing it will be the hardest. When you need to have a hard conversation, it is often the first words that are most difficult. When you want to make a career move, it is the first move of asking for something you need that is often hardest.

Writing this blog is now a joy for me. I love being able to get up every morning to write it. The first step, though, was hardest…hitting publish for the first time, wondering if anyone would care what I had to say.

Today, have the courage to make the first move. Be the first to apologize. Be the first to say “I love you.” Show kindness when no one else does. Ask for what you need and want, without shame or guilt. Take that first step up the mountain, whatever the mountain looks like for you.