What Not Buying A Shirt Taught Me About Getting Started

I wanted to buy a shirt.

But I find it hard to buy a shirt.

And it’s taking me forever to buy a shirt.

Why can’t I just buy a shirt?

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It has to be perfect

Because I just didn’t want to buy any shirt, I wanted to buy a good shirt. THE shirt.

I took my time going around a lot of shops looking for a shirt that would fit what I wanted.

None of them were perfect.

This one was too wide, that one was too tight.  I didn’t like how this one draped over my body. I didn’t like the fabric on this one.  I didn’t like the color on another.  This one didn’t fit shoulder width. Another one was too long, and another too short.

And the list goes on and on.

There was a shirt that fit, but I didn’t like the pockets.  There was another that fit and had the right pocket that I wanted, but I didn’t like the cloth that they used.  A lot of close calls and almost-rights.

And so, after an afternoon of looking around, I still wasn’t able to buy a shirt.

Because none of them were perfect.

Well, none of them were really perfect, but I would’ve worn them all the same, in hindsight.

I fooled myself then into thinking that there were no viable options for me to take.

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I’ve got to find out all the options. There might be something better out there.

Still determined to find and buy a shirt, I went out on another afternoon, in the hopes of finding one that I wanted.

So then I went to an area that had a lot of shops and boutiques close by, so I would be able to check them all.

I went shop by shop, item by item, looking for the right shirt.

There were some shirts that I thought were nice, had potential, and were within budget, but I didn’t buy any.

I saw them in the first few shops I visited and I thought if I just searched harder and had more options, I’d be able to find better ones.

At the end of the day, I had several great options.  The options were so nice, and each different from each other, that I felt I didn’t know which to pick anymore.

So what happened? I went home.

Still without buying a shirt.

So after two afternoons, I still don’t have something to show for the time that I spent.

And I thought having a lot of options was a great thing.  Turns out, I was paralyzed exactly because I had so many options.

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It’s too expensive!

Or the one I want is too expensive, and I don’t like the cheaper ones.

Because among all the shirts I looked at, there were really some that fit perfectly and were made of quality material, with excellent workmanship.  Really, really great and useful shirts.

And higher quality, of course can come with a higher cost.  In this case, yes I know there is branding and all that, but still, a quality product will usually cost more than an inferior, throwaway product.

Another version of this comment is the question: “Can I afford it?”

If you’re asking yourself this question, it means you really can’t afford it, or you’re not sure what you’re spending on is going to be good for you.

Because if it’s going to be good for you, surely you’d want it right?

So then, are you willing to pay top dollar for a top quality product that will surely help you?

I wouldn’t pay that much for a shirt, but for other products, that would help me solve problems I have in other aspects of my life.

Yeah I’d pay up to have my problem solved.

So then the question wasn’t really “How expensive is it?”

The question really was “How much do you want it?”

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Will people like it?

I then got into thinking what I was going to use the shirt for.  I thought I’m going to use it for work, when I teach, coach, and train, and basically be in front of people.

Look presentable.  Look professional.

And I got into overthinking.

Will the people like it? Does the color come off too strong?  What about the style?

I even thought for a moment of taking a picture of the shirts I wanted to buy, and asking for opinions from other people.

I was looking for validation on whether the shirt that I wanted to buy would be a good choice, and if other people liked it.

But then, what if I liked it? But other people didn’t like it? But I REALLY liked it.  Will I let them stop me?

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Is it alright for me to go ahead?

Is it alright for me to go ahead and buy a shirt?

Because then I was thinking that I could use the money for other things.  That I still had other shirts I can use and I should just save the money.

Good try there boy, but you really needed a shirt, because your old ones are falling apart.

Whatever you say to yourself, really doesn’t matter in the end.

If you feel it’s alright for you to go get one, you’d go and get one.  As long as you don’t feel it’s OK for you to go and get one, then you won’t.  You might even feel guilty when you go ahead and buy a shirt.

Yes, it’s perfectly alright for you to go ahead and get one, if you want it.  Maybe another, clearer, way of saying the question is:

“Do I feel I deserve to buy a shirt?”

Listen. Of course you deserve it. You deserve every bit of it.

I wholeheartedly support you.

But do you feel you deserve it? That’s another question, and one you must overcome and answer to it’s face.

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The reasons we don’t even start.

Have you ever had an experience where you wanted to do something?

Something important?

But you couldn’t follow through?

What then do you have to overcome?

Fill in the blanks with something you really want to do, but are having difficulty starting.

Replace: “to buy a shirt.”

I wanted to ______________.

But I find it hard to ______________.

And It takes me forever to _____________.

Why can’t I just _____________?

Want to know the reasons for not starting? For not following through?

Similar to the reasons why I wasn’t able to buy a shirt.

And there are your reasons.

I’m buying a shirt already.