What’s Working Wednesday: Done Is Better Than Perfect

I have a confession: something I’m launching in just a few days is not perfect. It’s not even fully built yet. I’ve been brainstorming and dreaming about it for a really long time (like at least two years) and I keep setting it aside or pushing to the back burner. It is connected to something I’ve been dreaming about for over a decade… and I keep not finishing any of it.

So let’s talk about that.

The thing I’m building this week

I’m finally pulling this idea back to the front, and putting together a new offer. The concept of the offer I only started REALLY sketching out a few days ago. The details are a little haphazard and definitely aren’t done. The follow-up plan isn’t finished and I do not have everything fully figured out.

But I’m doing it anyway.

Perfect is a stall tactic

If there is anything I’ve learned after almost 30 years in business, it’s that if I wait until I’m “ready”, nothing would ever get started. I can name at least four times over the course of my business where I was afraid, overwhelmed, unsure, and started to walk away from an opportunity. I like to do things RIGHT, and I can get inside my head and convince myself it’s not worth trying.

But, each time, I’ve sat myself back down in my chair and pushed through because what was on the other end WAS worth it. And EACH time, it totally was! In fact, one such decision resulted in me making six figures, selling on amazon. During covid. It was a pivotal moment, in which I learned that it’s worth trying, even if it’s not perfect or easy.

And if it doesn’t work, or things change, you get to pivot and try again. That Amazon pivot (and other successful endeavors) don’t guarantee this new launch will work the same way, but each time I try, it teaches me that fear is never as loud once you’re moving.

Perfect just gets you more time alone with your own doubts.

So what does this mean for you

If you’re sitting on something… a product, a post, a class, an offer… that isn’t “ready,” I’d gently ask: ready by whose standard? Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is let it be a little rough and let real people react to it. You’ll learn more from one imperfect launch than from a month of imagining what could go wrong. (Ok, I know I said this was for you, but I’m preaching to myself, as I push through and get this launch ready).

So, reminder to me and to you: done is better than perfect. Consistent is better than flawless. I’m about to test that theory live, in a few days, before it’s anywhere near finished…but that’s kind of the point.

Got something you’re sitting on because it isn’t “ready”? Maybe today’s the day anyway!