Whenever we desire to make a change in our life, we often overcomplicate how to get started.
Say you have grown restless with your current job. You enjoy baking. A voice in your head tells you to make cookies and share with the world.
Yet, you are not so sure. Should you leave your job to dedicate to the craft? Should you go to culinary school? How much does it cost to buy equipment and rent a space? Can you survive with selling cookies?
You think three, four, and five steps ahead. All these complexities paralyze you. At the end, nothing gets done.
You are getting ahead of yourself. You don’t need to start with a drastic, permanent change to your job or lifestyle.
A Better Approach: Start Small
There is an easier way to experiment your career as a cookies chef.
You only need to do one thing: make cookies.
It means clear your weekends. Go to the grocery store. Gather ingredients. Make a complete mess in your kitchen. Watch free videos. Mimic the techniques, but make tweaks to create your signature flavors.
Don’t have the best oven at home? Who cares. Bake lots of cookies with your subpar oven. Share the cookies with your friends and neighbors for free. Ask for feedback.
Do this 4 weekends in a row. See how it feels. Write down your experience. Maybe you will love it, maybe you won’t. The only way to find out is to try, to get started.
Starting small gives you far more feedback than any planning or studying can offer. In only a few days or weeks, you will learn:
- How does this change feel in real life? Are you exhausted but fulfilled? Frustrated but hungry for more? Or does it feel forced and draining?
- How much joy do you get?
- Does it seem like you can endure the pain that comes this change?
How to Start Small
Starting small means to use the resources you already have without additional commitment. All your need is time and openness.
Spend little to no extra money. Instead, find substitutes that are close enough. Learn to be resourceful. Don’t have a pencil? Use a pen. Don’t have blue? Use black. Don’t have lime? Use lemon.
Most importantly, get as close as possible to the actual thing you aspire to do in the shortest amount of time.
If you want to be a writer, don’t worry about getting an MFA degree yet. Instead, write. Open a blank document. Get your fingers moving. Borrow books from the library. Study how great authors tell stories.
If you want to be an interior designer, don’t apply for an expensive architecture program yet. Instead, offer a friend a free home decor design consultation. Treat them as real clients. Ask what is important to them. Pick out furniture, color schemes, and build an estimated budget.
If you want to work at a non-profit, don’t quit your corporate job yet. Instead, volunteer at a couple of non-profit organizations. Ask to shadow the staff on a weekend. Observe their challenges. Speak with the clients they serve. Be on the ground.
When you start small, it’s less scary. You get feedback quickly. You validate assumptions in real life. You will learn if your hobby should stay as a hobby, or it has the potential to become something more meaningful in your life. It’s less costly if things don’t work out. In return, you will gain incredibly valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t.
And you always have the option to fall back on your existing life.
Start small. Try it.