This Norwegian Word is Keeping You From Living Your Dreams

“It’s dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door,” Bilbo once said in The Lord of the Rings. “You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

That road sounds so enticing, so full of possibilities. Why is it, then, that so many of us have trouble just getting to the door? We have ideas for adventures, businesses, hobbies, lifestyle changes, and we’ll spend weeks, even months dreaming and planning for them. When it comes to actually doing them, though, we drag our feet, find excuses, and tell ourselves we’re “just not ready yet.” We do this over and over, never actually getting to the real “starting” of a plan.

The Norwegian language has a word for this. It’s called dørstokmilla - the doorstep mile. Getting from the planning stages of your idea to actually walking out the door (actual or metaphorical) is often a journey in itself. 

Why do we get stuck here? We all have our reasons. Not enough money, not enough time, not fit enough - the list goes on. But even when we have some of those excuses resolved, we continue to shuffle our way to the doorstep.

What it really boils down to for many of us is our own self-doubt. What if I can’t do it? What if it’s not perfect? We’ve built up the idea so enormously in our heads that it’s become an unconquerable failure-breathing dragon!

This is where Streaking brings the magic. The First Law of Streaking tells us to make our streak laughably simple. We don’t have to conquer it all at once, nor does it have to be perfect. By keeping things laughably simple, your doorstep mile is immediately broken into small, manageable steps. Suddenly, seeing each individual step in front of you feels a lot less intimidating. 

What’s amazing as well, is that we can use Streaking not only for the adventure itself, but to knock down all the barriers keeping us from it. Not enough money? Streak to save each month. Not enough time? Streak to plan your days more effectively. Not fit enough? Streak to exercise regularly. 

With Streaking, starting becomes simple. Excuses fall to the wayside. We see the trees for the forest, and they don’t seem as dark and scary anymore. Wherever your journey takes you, Streaking keeps you consistently moving in the right direction. Soon that doorstep will be far in the distance behind you, and you’ll have the whole rest of the adventure in front of you.