Hmmm… are we seeing a pattern here? Another quote that helps fight the battle against perfectionism. Do I have too many of them in this book? Should I delay the publication until next year (i.e. never)? Inner thought: cancel. Let’s move on.
In Business:
For the purpose of your business, cut out the word “badly” and paste in the word “crudely.” Have you ever seen a picture of the original “Apple I” computer, built on wood?
Just a note: I promised myself this would not be the one millionth book to reference Steve Jobs as a source of inspiration, and I still think I’m good because the Apple I was really all Steve Wozniak.
I wrote earlier about the software developers’ concept of “Minimum Viable Product.” Does your basic product successfully solve a basic problem?
If so, test it, ship it, modify, repeat.
In Life:
The key word to focus on in this quote is “worth,” not “badly,” which I bet you were doing.
The problem is we often don’t know if it was worth it until we’re already there in it.
Will practicing the piano for all those endless hours be worth it? Once we hear the applause at the recital and have the ability to sit down at a party and wow them with a tune, we know the answer is yes. But prior to that… is it worth it?
The key is two-fold: look at small victories in your own past that you know were worth it, and big victories in the lives of others. The small, personal victories will keep you from backsliding. The big victories from others will help propel you toward them.
You’ll get better and better… and, yes, it will be worth it.
So remember…
If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.
— G.K. Chesterton