I have 4 guiding principles in whatever I do (either business, sports, relationships – whatever):

1. Show up
2. Do the work
3. Go hard
4. Go home

1. Show up

When the idea of this blog first crept in, I only knew classic social media channels weren’t for me. I felt as if I started on them (either FB, IG, Twitter etc), I was building a house on a leased land. I only had my Instagram account (after I deleted my Facebook profile couple of years back) and that was about it.

On the other hand, looking onto those who had ongoing blogs / websites, it was intimidating to think about it as they were light years ahead of what I was about to start but knowing the importance of an MVP (more on that another time), I got it done.

Cristina also talked some sense into me: either let it rest in peace or take affirmative action towards it and build my own thing. Decided on the latter, took the first step, bought the domain and took it from there.

Luckily, Alex was kind enough to help me set up shop and assist with the more technical aspects of this but we got it up and running within a couple of hours on a sunny Saturday during isolation.

That is all it took: the first step. Showing up. It’s not a leap of faith, it’s not like I sold my soul for silver and gold so that I could buy this domain (it was actually less the cost of a decent wine bottle at any pub around town).

I had so many training sessions that I had no motivation to do, nor the will, nor the power. But the first step was always to grab my shoes, go out and take it from there.

At PORC, after all these years I learned that planning is the key and accepting shit has to be planned waaaay ahead of it’s time is the only way to go. Do we want to sell jackets in September? January might be too late to place the order. Caps in May? August could work but there’s no guarantee we could export in time (yeap, that’s almost one year prior).

I had so many days where I felt like not doing whatever had to be done but it became easier once I opened Illustrator or Excel. The first step. Showed up.

Some might take it a little bit to the extreme by stating Don’t feel like doing it? Just do it! (no pun intended)

It’s all fun and games but doesn’t work overtime. There are a lot of mind hacks to jumpstart your will to get shit done but I ran out of them at some point.

First run in the rain? Bring it! Second one? Fuck, yeah!

Fuck-knows-and-I-ve-lost-count run in the rain? Not so determined now, motherfucker!

Now and then I have the opportunity to interact either with successful business owners, athletes or simply people who get shit done. You’ve seen them and you know who I am talking about: the ones that don’t post 8126 photos of their first MVP, the ones that don’t share their best 10k or 100k run over and over again, the ones who you find out by accident that they did this or they did that. The lurkers. The night marauders. Always taking that one first step. Day after day.

The hungry ones. Never full. Always one step ahead of the rest but one step short of themselves. Always.

Since I decided to bike from Balea Lake to Constanta (highest to lowest points reachable by road in Romania), it haunts me. Couple of nights ago I had nightmares of how I will not be able to finish it, went back to sleep only to envision that I got hit by a truck and I was driving myself to the hospital. In the same truck that hit me.

I am living in constant fear that something will go fundamentally wrong, of how stupid it sounds, what if my body won’t make it, what if it rains, what if I blow all 5 spare tubes, what if I can’t hold the food in, what if..

But what if I make it?

The first step is to take the bike up the mountain and kick it. And I’ll see where it takes me. If I don’t take the first step, I’ll achieve shit.

I’m not here to inspire anyone. I’m here to remind you that taking the first step is the first thing to do, no matter what you’d like to achieve.

Even if you fail, it will suck less than not even trying.

Even if you fail, you can try again.

Even if you fail, nobody cares.

The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream. – Les Brown