There’s just something exciting and fulfilling about building something yourself, or working on a big project alone and getting it finished without additional help. Whether you’re good at working with your hands or with computers, the ability to say, «I did that myself» is quite intoxicating.
Some people are too afraid of failing to start the project in the first place. For instance, if you’re building a storage shed from a set of plans and a pile of materials, at first it may seem daunting if you’ve never done that before. But if you’re sure to following each step one at a time and take your time doing it right, when you get to the last step you’ve accomplished a seemingly impossible task that you at first were afraid of. The more of these projects you complete, the more your confidence builds for each upcoming task.
I work with computers a lot and while I’ve been doing i a long time, I still occasionally wonder if I’ll be able to start and finish each new project to my high standards. Each time I do my confidence in my abilities is renewed and invariably I learn something about myself and the project I’m working on. That new information is useful for future projects and I continue to avoid old mistakes (although new ones do crop up.)
When I see my young son work on a Lego project and get frustrated with it, I see him struggle with his own frustrations and the desire to finish the task the right way. The look on his face when he’s built the toy and can show me a finished plane, car or train, it’s just priceless.
If you’ve got a big project staring you in the face, get the courage to take the first step. Before you know it you’ll be finished and enjoying the pride of accomplishing it on your own.