In the beginning, God created the Heaven and Earth… and the Earth was NULL and VOID!” (Genesis 1:1-2a)

That’s how the Biblical Genesis recounted the story of the genesis of this beautiful world you see today. In other words, there was a time when this Earth looked hopeless. In the beginning, the world was without any beauty or form. However, it went through a process to be what it is today.

Tell you what, the beginning of everything is difficult. Starting every dream is hardest in the beginning. The void state of whatever one wants to build is enough to put them off; starting a business from one’s bedroom, starting a marriage from a partitioned single room or even starting a church with only two troublesome members!

The test of our passion happens in the beginning. Whether our dreams are wishful thoughts or not, the beginning will tell. The ‘null and void’ stage will put our energy to test. It will examine the reason we want to do what we love to do. If it is only a wish, we will give up. If it is indeed an undying passion, we will soldier on. Truth is, if one is able to withstand the null and void stage, they’ll be able to withstand the challenges that may arise when they reach the top.

Every big dream always started as a small one. Remember every skyscraper was once only a foundation. Every storey building was once only a single brick/block. Every giant brand you see today began on a tough note. Coca Cola started in Dr. Pemberton’s pharmacy with all its attendant challenges. It wasn’t all rosy for Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, either. Every beginning has a setback which should in no way hold us back!

You need the hard times when beginning something. You need the heartbreaks. You need the disappointments. They toughen you up. They bring out the best in you. Mind you, stars shine better in darkness… not in light. You need darkness to shine!

Life runs on principles. One of such principles is the principle of the beginning. The beginning is not rosy. It somewhat looks hopeless. It is rife with failure. It is pregnant with lessons one may need to learn to move on. The beginning is a process; a process to make progress. Fact is, if you want to skip the process, there’s no way you can make any progress.

This life is like a journey. There’s absolutely no way you can reach your destination without going through the process of reaching there. You can’t cheat nature by reaching the apex of a mountain without climbing it. For you to reach the mountain of success, you must have gone through the valley of failure!

Life is like school. You need to learn something today to apply tomorrow. You need to go through the process of a beginning to reach a destination of an end. You can’t skip it. You can’t jumpstart life.

Many young people, especially, today want to reach the top of life’s ladder without necessarily going through the process of a beginning. Sudden success is perilous. Whatever is built in haste can’t stand the test of time. Whatever is built without going through the process of a beginning can’t make any progress to reach an end. It fails in haste just as it succeeded in haste.

Greatness is not for the impatient. Building a formidable dream takes time. It requires patience. Mind you, it takes patience to go through a beginning. It takes patience to go back to the drawing board when every other thing fails. It takes patience to endure the failure stage of a beginning!

Don’t despise a beginning no matter how small it may look. Don’t give up on yourself when starting whatever in the beginning. There’s no end without a beginning just like there’s no progress without a process. Every big dream you see today started only as an idea; a small dream.

The entrepreneur who has over a thousand employees today started with only one employee? him/herself. The couple who just celebrated their golden jubilee marriage anniversary started as newlyweds some years back. The entire human population today started as only two people in the beginning. Don’t despise a beginning. It leads to an end! Though the beginning may be draining, you need to go through it to reach where you desire to be. Don’t be weighed down by the disappointments. It is a part of the beginning story. Don’t be cast down by the failure. Failure has always been the next door neighbor of success.

The beginning is the toughening stage. It builds you up for greater challenges. It hones your maturity. It makes you appreciate the worth of success. It teaches you lessons you may never get to learn anywhere. Don’t leave yet. Don’t abandon that dream. Keep learning. Keep trying again.

The beginning has always been null and void. You may not see the light at the end of the tunnel yet but that doesn’t make it non-existent. There’s power in our dreams. Keep believing and working hard and smart.

Are you starting a new relationship? Are you building a new home? Are you setting off on the journey of an entrepreneur? In the beginning, there will be something null… and another thing void. It is a principle of life God had to even go through. Don’t give up. The beginning has always been difficult. A step each day towards your dream means you’re only a step away from that dream.