Beginning is hard.

I have only barely begun my District Survey. The first bit I did was one country. I found out later I had an outdated list of provinces. But at least, at that point, I had a structure for the table, and I could quickly replace it. Now I have every country and every province in the world, but many of the provinces lack districts. I’m still trying to figure out what data is most useful for each province and district. I’m still rueing how difficult it is to find the data in some cases.

That first list has been left far behind: but it was still important, because it was the first list, and it got me going. Beginnings are so hard, we shouldn’t “despise the day of small beginnings.” Any first step is a win.

If you want to map your city, figure out where the diaspora are, as a first step to reaching them – the simplest step of getting out and walking a particular area (like your neighborhood) is crucial. The first thing you do will probably not the best thing, the right thing, or even done well. That’s not important. The only important thing about “the first thing” is that it is the first thing, that you have begun. Then, you just keep putting one foot after the other.