The blank page awaits, the weights rest, the canvas leans in the easel, and your shingle anticipates being hung.

The world is oblivious.

You know what must be done.

The restless seed of courage comes to life. Emergent, but real. This beginning, this sprout of life, is where your maddening idea started to take root in the soil of your ambition.

You are the one; creation must happen, action taken, and an idea pursued.

How did this all start? What is your origin story? Was it a flash of inspiration or a slow burn demanding satisfaction?

My beginning was a slow burn. I didn't know the form, but a seed had sprouted. I was encouraged that I could connect different ideas and knew how to ask good questions. Looking to share the benefits of dwelling with an inquiry and weaken my fear of what other think of me, I started to write.

Did you want to live to 150, get the degree, chisel the 6-pack abs, make your first million, build a legacy, help a million people, or find a cure for cancer?

Lao Tzu wrote; "the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." What tipped the scales and drove you to take the first step of action? Knowing this catalyst is important and will need to be revisited when the road gets hard; after all, a thousand miles is a lot of steps.

Share your story, as there is much work to be done. Courage is inspiring and better yet; it is contagious. Keep pushing to grow. Soon enough, the once sparse land populated with weak saplings will be a sweeping forest of redwoods.

Add your story to the comments and tag a fellow "Redwood."

Going Further: How do you define your first courageous steps? What internal or external opposition did you need to overcome at the beginning? Has the opposition strengthened or weakened? What is the new opposition? What are your new tactics to be courageous? Did you think you would arrive at your current destination? What do you think about the timing of your arrival?