The road does seem long before you embark on the journey, That's why I think the most difficult part is to start.

A road looks longest before the first step because none of its distance has yet been crossed. The whole effort stands ahead at once, while doubt can still imagine every difficulty. Starting changes that view. One step becomes several, motion builds, and the road begins to contain memories of what has already been survived. Work that once looked endless becomes a life being lived day by day.

The beginning remains difficult because it asks for movement before there is proof. Later progress can draw strength from earlier progress, but the first act has no such history behind it. It must create the very evidence that will make continuing easier.