You’re standing at the start of a trail.
Shoes laced. Bag packed. The signpost points the way forward.

But you’re still frozen.
What if it’s too steep?
What if you’re not ready?
What if you get lost?

Here’s the thing: you’ll never know from the trailhead. The only way to find out is to Get Stuck In — take that first step.

The Weight of Waiting

We convince ourselves we need perfect conditions before starting.

  • The plan has to be flawless.
  • The timing has to be right.
  • The gear has to be just so.

But standing still teaches you nothing.
Movement teaches you everything.

I know this because I’ve been there. For the longest time, I kept going back and forth on how my blog should look and feel. I obsessed over design, tools, and details that didn’t really matter. What should have been simple — just getting words online — became daunting. I’d push it aside, convincing myself it wasn’t worth it, or that no one would care.

If I’m honest, I was hiding. I told myself I was too busy, or that my peers might judge me. But the truth? I was waiting for a picture-perfect ending before I’d even taken the first step.

Why Getting Stuck In Works

And that’s the paradox: action creates clarity, but clarity rarely creates action.

  1. Momentum is clarity in disguise. Two steps forward show more of the path than two weeks of staring.
  2. Confidence comes from motion. Balance doesn’t arrive before you walk — it arrives because you walked.
  3. Stumbles aren’t failures. Every slip is just feedback on where to place your feet.
  4. Energy is contagious. Step in boldly and watch others follow.

The moment you move, the fog begins to lift.

The Map Is Not the Terrain

Plans are like maps: they give direction, highlight possible routes, and help us prepare. But once you start walking, you quickly learn the truth — the map is not the terrain.

  • A map can’t show the loose rocks under your feet.
  • It won’t capture how steep the hill feels when you’re climbing it.
  • It can’t prepare you for the unexpected turn that looks daunting but leads to the best view.

A plan gets you to the trailhead, but only experience reveals the reality of the path. To learn the terrain, you have to walk it.

The Everyday Trailheads We Face

Trailheads aren’t just mountain paths. They show up everywhere:

  • At work: staring at a big project, waiting for the “perfect plan.”
  • In learning: buying books and courses but never opening page one.
  • In life: saying “someday” to opportunities that only need a simple “yes.”

Each one asks the same question: will you wait for certainty, or will you take the step that brings it?

👉 Pause for a moment. What’s the trailhead you’re standing at right now?

From Scattered Moments to Scheduled Progress

When we hold back, our efforts tend to come in random, unscheduled bursts. A little progress here, a half-hearted attempt there — never enough to build momentum.

But when you get stuck in, something changes. You move from waiting for “spare moments” to making moments. Action creates rhythm: first a burst, then a routine, eventually a habit.

What once felt like scattered, accidental progress turns into deliberate, scheduled time for growth.

That’s the quiet power of getting stuck in — it doesn’t just get you started, it helps you stay the course.

How to Take the First Step

Getting stuck in doesn’t mean charging forward recklessly. It means giving yourself permission to start — and trusting that the path will unfold.

  • Shrink the start. Don’t run the marathon — just walk the first mile.
  • Use what you have. Walking shoes today beat perfect hiking boots “someday.”
  • Build rhythm. One step each day compounds into distance.
  • Celebrate forward, not flawless. Progress is the prize.

The first step lowers the barrier to the next one. Before long, the trail feels familiar, and hesitation fades.

My Takeaway

For me, it was the blog. I thought too much about the end — the design, the audience, the imagined judgments — and not enough about the first step. I made excuses. I waited. And nothing happened.

But once I finally Got Stuck In, I realised: the map only appears once you’re already moving.

Plans are important, but they’re not reality. The terrain is what you discover when you walk it.

Key Takeaways

  • Get Stuck In means stepping forward before you see the whole path.
  • Waiting feels safe, but motion creates the map.
  • The map is not the terrain — plans help, but reality only shows up once you start walking.
  • Scattered efforts become deliberate progress once you commit.
  • The first step is the hardest — and the most transformative.

The trail won’t walk itself.
The map won’t fill itself in.
The only thing left is the first step.

Get Stuck In.