The power of the first step.

12 December 2007

Taking that first step is actually about 70% of the total effort in any project.

Extraordinary, isn't it, how hard that first step so often is. So much for that platitude: "The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step." That step's a monster!

The biggest obstacle is usually all the problems and difficulties you can pile up against your dream. I mentioned that yesterday. Well, just flush 'em away.

The reality is that most of them won't happen anyway, and those that do crop up tend to get solved in the momentum of the moment. But if you ain't started, you ain't got momentum, right?

The big secret to everything - put it on paper. Write it down. Once you do this, you have made a start in the physical world, and it is extraordinary how much enery and synergy this then attracts.

Let me show you how we put Project Palhaco together.

Of course it can't be done. Just Daniel, a street kid, rescue a whole community? Huh.

Once the idea popped - well, exploded - in his head, we started to talk about ways to make a difference. It takes so little to do so much. But we ain't got that little, so the idea of this site was born.

Yes, I know, there are a zillion sites and ten zillion blogs out there, who cares about ours. And how will we get visits, anyway? Without that, it's all just a dream.

So we followed our own advice and put it down on paper - that's what you're reading now. The site got built, and it became easier to get people to understand, and believe.

Well, that's how it was... on paper. And then reality butted in. We have our little site, so what. This is still, really, just that 'put it on paper' level. The next step is much harder.

The second step is to get started in the real world - get the first tree planted, the first kid to the dentist, the first toilet installed. After we do this, the floodgates will open. So this is where we are right now, hunting tourists who are interested in a 'different' tour - absolutely free, get to see the real Brazil, meet some real people. Then after you have spent an hour or two flying kites with the kids, or splashing in the waterfall, or eating a genuine Brazilian meal - hey, why not take little Monstrinho to the dentist? Will only cost you twenty bucks... and man look at his teeth, poor kid!

Or drop into the hardware store and buy half-a-dozen bags of cement...

It will happen... and it will grow.

Even then, there's getting traffic... [hey, you're reading this! Do us a favor, email us to all your friends on your list. Traffic for us, karma for you... if you have a site, link to us]... at this point, especially when I consider how primitive the site is and how much MUST still be done on it, it is very easy to sink into despair. To avoid this, I return to the paper stage. I make a few headings: Get Tourist; Get Traffic; Get Advertising; First Bathroom; First Dentist; First Tree - then I make a step-by-step list under each heading. It's still a huge task but now I can control my panic by just ticking off one task at a time.

Today, after twelve days, we have 100 visitors a day, and three sites have linked to us. We are still bleeding from the effort of doing this in a Lan House, but from January 01 we plan to try and double our traffic every day for the month. That will require a lot of time, which right now we can't spare, as we are trying so desperately to get the infrastructure in place. Oh yeah, there's Xmas poking its nose in as well, and since these kids have never ever had a Xmas, we have this dream of having a special BBQ on Xmas Eve, with Daniel popping in as Santa. More on that later.

But you can be sure we will do SOMETHING. Look at little Palhaco's first ever birthday party Blog 06 December. All we could manage were three of the cheapest bottles of softdrink, and a cake [with a clown on it, of course]. Man, how pathetic for a first-ever party! But Daniel is a magic kid. As only he could do, and get away with it, he buried Palhaco's head in the cake, and everyone had to have a slice of HIM. Haha. That's him below, playing in the rain. Turned the kid into a hero, and the day into folklore. Come and meet Daniel, it's quite a ride...

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