Momentum Hinges on the Power of One

I have a friend who’s a perfectionist.

She would rather show nothing than show work that’s less
than her best.

And I tell her all the time, look, I understand you want to put your best foot
forward, but you’ll never impress anyone by putting no foot forward.

The reality is, being amazing is nice, but it’s not always
necessary. What’s most important––at least, for now––is having something,
anything, that you can point to. Something that gets you on the runway. Something you can hold up and say, this is me, this is what I do.

Even if it’s not a ten.

My first book wasn’t exactly a literary masterpiece. Considering
all the typos and adverbs poor grammar and rambling stories, I can’t even bring
myself to flip through the pages anymore. It’s just too painful.

And yet, that book brought me here. I wouldn’t be where I am
without it.

The point is, momentum hinges on the power of one. Sometimes
you have to put work out there that’s less than amazing today, to motivate yourself to make something even better tomorrow.

Otherwise the curse of perfection trumps the commitment to progress.