Done Is Better Than Perfect

I started this blog about a year ago. Well… I started this blog many times.

I’m always so happy to start a new project. I think about the fun I’m going to have doing it, the benefits it will bring me, etc. Starting this blog was no different. After blogging freelance for a bunch of left-field cultural blogs, I figured it wouldn’t be that much harder to do it for myself. And much more gratifying.

But after the initial high had faded, I felt a little stupid. It’s hard to override that annoying little voice in your head that tells you what you do isn’t good. Or interesting. Or necessary.

I don’t mind spending time working, but fighting creative block was too hard a task. It made me want to quit. I could say I’m not a quitter, but that’s not true. I believe in quitting when something isn’t making you happy, or isn’t worthwhile.

But this wasn’t quitting, it was flaking, and I’m not a flake.

The realization I had to come to is that done is better than perfect. That’s the motto I would live by when I was writing for other blogs. I did the best I could with what I had, and if it wasn’t good enough, I would try harder next time.

For my own blog, though, I felt like I couldn’t publish a post if it wasn’t perfect. I was putting all kinds of pressure on myself. It was stupid. As a creator, I have to continuously remind myself that my job is to show up and get the work done. If it’s good or not is out of my hands.

Done is always better than perfect.