Done Is Better Than Perfect—Getting Your Work Out There
The other day someone reached out to me on Instagram. I wasn’t familiar with her and hadn’t interacted with her before. She reached out to me with a question about a recent Instagram post asking what I meant.
Admittedly I was confused. Maybe I didn’t articulate my thought well or maybe there was a mistake.
I asked her if she noticed a typo or something? And it turns out there was. I had some words inverted.
Here’s what the Instagram post said:
“You take on the qualities of the people five you spend the most time with.”
It was supposed to say:
“You take on the qualities of the five people you spend the most time with.”
As soon as I realized which words were inverted, I responded, “Ahh oh well! :)”
I considered for a split second to delete the post. A split second. And then I thought, screw it. I have other stuff to make.
No biggie.
The lady continued, and she may have had the best of intentions, “...as a writing coach, you don’t want mistakes in your copy!”
Wait. What?
Yes, I call myself a “writer” and a “writing coach.” And, I'm human and I will make mistakes.
I tell my clients all the time to just get their work out there and to not obsess over perfection because done is better than perfect.
I left the post as it was and will keep it up as a reminder for us all.
Here’s what I believe to be true:
Most people probably didn’t notice
Many writers, business owners, and other people I admire make mistakes
My clients will continue to love working together
Many of my blog posts and emails have mistakes—heck, I’m sure you can find something wrong with this article if you look… and, it’s okay
If you publish something and it has a mistake—you will survive
If you’re reading this and are worried about getting something just right and it’s keeping you from moving forward, here’s a friendly reminder:
Publish the thing.
Send the email.
Schedule the post.
Write the blog.
Compose the newsletter.
Write the book.
Mail the letter.
Record the podcast.
Do the Facebook live.
Record the Insta-story.
Send the ask.
Even if it's not perfect.
Especially if it's not perfect.
The world needs more of your imperfect action. It needs you.
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And if you need someone to kick your butt to get you writing, you might be a great fit for the Unfussy Writing Community.
