Ways of Living and Thinking Learned from Buddhism: "Just Getting Started"

This topic might seem unrelated to Buddhism, but I would like to talk about something I keep in mind in my daily life.

That said, since this way of thinking can be said to have been learned from the lives of Shakyamuni and Shinran Shonin, it is indeed related to Buddhism after all.

When you are about to start something, are you the type who tends to "think" about it a lot?

It is true that if you start without thinking at all, you may end up having a "painful experience."

Therefore, many people are afraid of failure and wait until they are in a "secure state" before starting.

But if you wait until you are in a secure state to start, does that mean you won't fail?

No matter how much you think or prepare, "when you fail, you fail."

That can happen because unexpected situations arise, or simply because your outlook was wrong.

But in either case, there is "no way to know" no matter how much you think about it before you start, right?

When I start something, I try to think about the "risk of not starting" rather than the risk of starting.

For example, even if you think after careful consideration, "I'll start next year," you don't know what things will be like this time next year.

You might be ill, or perhaps your life might have come to an end.

And above all, I feel that even when next year comes, there will be a "me who procrastinates," saying, "I'll do it next year instead."

Of course, when I start, I try to start as "slowly and cautiously" as possible.

Instead of taking a big step forward, I try to move my feet forward little by little, as if shuffling.

There will be people who laugh at or make fun of that appearance.

Even so, I believe there is a "world of difference" between that and not moving forward at all.

And once a path is formed or the path becomes wider, I think it is fine to gradually start walking with bigger steps and then start running.

If you do that, like an airplane gradually picking up speed on a runway, you might even be able to fly in the sky someday.

☆Today's Verse☆

　As you walk,
　　　　before you,
　　　　　　　　　the path extends