On the ride home yesterday, I listened to a couple of musicians in another interesting NPR interview.

Win Butler and Regine Chassagne of the band Arcade Fire were on Fresh Air.

The interview was interesting for many reasons, but I laughed when Win said he changed his major in college from what was easy for him (making music and art), to something he knew would be good for him, but was harder. I did the same thing in grad school,in a different realm…choosing what was harder for me, but better, in the long run.

I laughed when I heard him say:

“It’s really hard to read St. Augustine unless you have a paper due.”

I thought to myself, yes, it IS the structure, the “due-ness” that gets things done – including learning – lots of times.

I’m working with a client now to help lead the organization through a series of learning and application steps that will enable them to know, and effectively apply the skills of effective process design and management. They are learning, and owning what they learn, in a deeper way than they would if they read a book, or watched a video…any of the more passive ways of learning. Learning and quick application is the order of the day.

The process of learning in a defined, structured and applied way reminds me, in a way, of helping our daughter move the past few weekends.

There were many reasons no one was ready for the work ahead. Yet there was no way around the work but through it.

And the process had officially begun…it was no longer theoretical, no longer a plan, no longer something to dread…by the time we’d moved the first two things to the “ready to load and go” spot by the front door.

With the first step, beginning (anything) is no longer ahead. Beginning has already been done.

You can check “begin” off the list with the move of that first box to the front door, ready to load and go.