Posted: August 26, 2025

A reminder to start, because there's always a reason not to

The decision to stand for council lived rent-free in my head right up to the literal last minute. I'm sure all the other candidates willing to put their hand up will agree: there are so many good reasons not to do this.

I recently did my video interview for the council. You might later see, talking about myself down the barrel of a camera is not exactly my happy place.

Then I read this reminder from author James Clear that, you never know, might trigger something in you too:

“Running one mile has more in common with running a marathon than sitting at home.

Investing $100 has more in common with being a millionaire than being broke.

Writing one sentence has more in common with writing a book than never writing one.

It always feels small in the beginning and the big goals seem far away. It’s easy to talk yourself out of the early attempts because they feel kind of meaningless.

But every race starts with one step. Every fortune starts with a small deposit. Every book begins as one sentence.

The real question is not “What is my current position?” but rather, “What is my current trajectory?” Doing nothing builds nothing. Put yourself on the path to something better. Start small, but make sure you start.”

And one more thing I heard from Steven Bartlett that I had to write down:

You belong in every room you're brave enough to enter.

Only in this case, that room's a public square.