Done Is Better Than Perfect, But Why?
I have a friend who is a HUGE Game of Thrones fan. Last year, he used to constantly hound me about watching the series because he knew that a show with dragons and snow zombies was right up my alley. At this point, it was one of the most popular and critically acclaimed shows on television and he wanted me to start watching it before it’s swan song season. After his relentless persistence, I finally surrendered and plunged into the mythical world of Westeros. Within a few episodes, I was hooked! The writing is amazing, the acting is phenomenal, and the complexities of each storyline produced an addictive narcotic that required a daily hit. However, after finishing four seasons of the show, something changed. The quality of the show was still great, but my interest in it wasn’t the same. Consequently, I begun to watch the show at a more sporadic pace. What happened? Well, it’s quite simple. I got tired of watching it, which eventually caused me to stop watching it entirely. This is classic me. I struggle with finishing things. I can’t remember the last time I actually finished reading an entire book, cover to cover. I’ll commit to lofty goals every year, but inevitably will give up on most of them. Recently, I watched a video by one of my favorite YouTubers who was getting a mural painted on his wall of with the maxim, “Done Is Better Than Perfect.” This statement was so profound to me. This quote is the reason why I started writing and posting on this platform (check out my other work, here and here). I believe this quote will be the reason why I become successful with writing. Yes, done is better than perfect, but why?
Makes You Realize That You Don’t Need The Perfect Idea, You Just Need The Best One
A few years back when I started writing for fun, I had an idea of writing a script about an “Ocean’s 11” type of movie about a million dollar Art Heist. I was so excited to work on this new project, thinking that I was going to be the next Quentin Tarantino. This excitement propelled me to write 60 pages of script. Yeah that’s right, 60 pages! However, this 60 pages did not come with a finished story as I didn’t complete my script. Not because the excitement wore off or because I didn’t have time, but because I didn’t know how I wanted the story to end. I wanted this script to be perfection. In my pursuit of perfection, I didn’t think that any of my ideas were good enough. I would write something, and then trash it because of my dissatisfaction with its imperfection. After awhile, I couldn’t think of anything good enough, so I just stopped working on it all together. What would of happened if I just went with one of my imperfect storylines and actually finished the script? Maybe I could have been a Hollywood elite rubbing elbows with DiCaprio right now. When you focus on completion instead of perfection, you don’t need the perfect idea, you just need the best one.
Helps You Hone Your Skills
I work as an engineer in a global corporation. At our headquarters, they have a full length basketball court where they host a plethora of events like intramural volleyball/basketball leagues, badminton tournaments, and other corporate social events. One year, they held a company-wide free throw competition in which I signed up to participate. To prepare for the competition, I practiced my free throw shot everyday for a month straight. On the first day of practice, I averaged about 3 to 4 made shots out of 10 tries. By the end of the month, I was up to 7 to 8 made shots. Completing a project or finishing a task is like shooting a shot. The more you do it, the better you become. You get a better feel for how to do it and you get more comfortable in doing it. Focusing on completion will help you develop the necessary skills to be able to produce quality content. So in other words, shoot your shot!
Forces You To Create Consistent Action Which Helps Fuel Success
Denzel Washington has a viral video where he encourages a group of young, aspiring stage actors and director to strive for greatness. In this video, he gave a palpably passionate speech in where he outlined the key to having any type of success. He explained that having dreams, without goals, remain dreams and ultimately fuel disappointment. He continued to explain that goals cannot be achieved without discipline and consistency. His emphasis on consistency really stuck with me. If you ask any successful person how they achieved their success, consistent action will be on their short list of answers. I have a friend who likes to call it “pushing the needle.” To be able to completed any goal, you need to create consistent action towards that goal. With consistent action, it sets you up to achieve the success you are looking for. So in other words, push the needle!
