The problem with most people is, they fail before they even give themselves a chance to succeed. We tend to have this false idea that before embarking on a new journey, that we have to have every single thing perfectly in place so that we’re ready to begin. That couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s a quote that I often think of when I’m feeling apprehensive about taking action:
“Smart critiques. Stupid creates.”
When you’re getting ready to start a new project, whether it be building a new business, recording a new album, marketing campaign, etc., the last thing you need to worry about is trying to make it perfect. What you need to be focusing on is creating something people will find valuable and serving your target market.
Now, this doesn’t mean that you just start doing some bullshit and put it out there just because. Although you can, because that has a success rate of it’s own, but that’s not what I’m referring to here.
What I’m speaking about is getting our of your comfort zone and taking massive action. This isn’t about being perfect, it’s about taking the first step and making constant improvements as your business grows and as you inevitably grow as an entrepreneur.
All of the great companies that you know of and use everyday all came from humble beginnings. They were founded by entrepreneurs that knew they were risking failure but they got started anyway. And you better believe, they were far from perfect when they started.
Full transparency, I’m not just writing this post for you. This is for me, too. I’ve been a victim of “Analysis Paralysis”. For those of you not familiar with that term, “Analysis Paralysis” is what happens when someone knows everything about a subject, has done all the research, planning, and strategizing, and then they end up doing nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. The only thing worst than being this kind of person, is listening to these kind of people.
When we first started Noirbnb, we had a team member who was incredibly talented. They had a great education, had spent years honing their craft, and was an integral part of the team. When recruiting, we try to get the best of the best, and this instance both my cofounder and I believe we did. Not only do we aim to recruit the best, but we want to empower and listen to them as well. The only issue was, every time we were ready to launch, this person kept stopping us. They kept saying “We’re not ready” or “I don’t want my colleagues looking at this and judging my work”, and they kept asking about or bringing up other things that didn’t matter in the grand scheme.
Foolishly, I listened to them because I trusted their “expertise”. I listened to the “Smart” person when really I should’ve just been “Stupid” and jumped out there. After this team member left the company, we launched our product, and we started getting bookings, having clients, and the company made significant progress. We’re still building and growing as a company but none of that would have happened had we not gotten out of our comfort zones and taken that leap of faith.
I say all that to say, don’t be afraid to jump out there and bring your idea to life. Don’t over think, don’t doubt, just do it.
Check out episode 2 of The Level Up Podcast below.
