To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing. –Aristotle

For the past three months, I have been contemplating adding video into The Resilient Worker media mix.  It seemed a logical extension of the brand and a great way to build a more personal connection with my audience.

I researched the most effective equipment.  I sketched out a few scenes.  I watched how other professionals weaved in the new medium.  And the more I studied it, the more paralyzed I became!

After a lot of soul-searching and internal debate, I decided it wasn’t the perfect time to tinker with the formula.  The quality and consistency of the blog was easy to control.  Video promised new possibilities, but also introduced new complications.  What if the video came out blurry?  What if I couldn’t master the technology?  What if I looked ridiculous?  The timing just didn’t feel right.  I wanted everything to be perfect.

But after a conversation with my sister-in-law, I realized there is no perfect time.  I might end up waiting around forever!    Carpe Diem!  I prepared a few words, grabbed the old-fashioned iphone, and broadcast my first message on Instagram.

And it was pretty much a disaster.  

What I thought was the “on” button was actually the “off” button”.  And vice versa.  My video consisted of me staring into the camera with a goofy look on my face.  Followed by a cut to another shot of me looking even more clueless.  And somehow it broadcast out to my audience.  Doh!

While my kids got a HUGE laugh at my expense, it didn’t exactly enhance my brand.  It was, to say he least, incredibly imperfect.  And yet it was a start.  It created momentum.  And it provided an opportunity to improve.  Most importantly, it increased my conviction and dedication to branch into a new area.  In the end, this imperfection was the BEST thing that could have happened to me.  Because it was a step forward.

It was the perfect moment for imperfection.  And that is good perspective to embrace for our work and personal lives.

We Can’t Wait Forever

In our work lives, it is easy to sit back and wait for the perfect time to execute.  But that “moment” may never come!  Managers don’t always have the luxury of  always waiting for the “perfect” job candidate.  Entrepreneurs can’t always wait for the “perfect” business conditions.  Salespeople can’t always hold out for the “perfect” deal.  Sometimes, waiting for “perfect” will stifle our momentum.  Because “perfect” is elusive.

Job candidates  can quickly disappear.  Business conditions can rapidly change.  Deal terms are in constant flux.  Waiting for perfect can lead to paralysis.  Building the airplane while we fly is not ideal.  But it’s better than spending our whole life on the ground.Sometimes, we just have to dive in with both feet and have a little faith!

We Have to Start the Journey

The same is true in our personal lives.  There is no “perfect” time to ask someone out or start our families.  There is no “perfect” time to start exercising.  We can’t write the “perfect” article without writing a lot of subpar ones.  We can’t improve in any sport or skill unless we actually take that first step and do something.  We may not be perfect right out of the gates, but we need to start the journey.

And starting is the most important step.  It doesn’t have be a thing of beauty.  It might even cause us embarrassment and ridicule.  But we have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.  Shaking off stagnation and actually doing something will put us on a path toward success.   Even if our first step is a failure.

Action is the Key

I am not suggesting we settle.  I am not suggesting we accept mediocrity and learn to appreciate  failure.  While action is important, it shouldn’t come at the expense of preparation and caution.  We shouldn’t just blindly dive into something without some basic understanding of the outcome.

But we can’t run models forever.  We can’t plan forever. We can’t think about our dreams forever.  Analysis in the absence of action is certain paralysis.  At some point we need to actually take that first step forward.  Even if that first step is the essence of imperfection.

Resilience Never Rests

We all have special talents.  We all have some calling or vocation.  We all have goals and dreams in our personal and professional lives.  But those dreams can’t just lurk within us.  We have to take action to realize any level of success or fulfillment.  And we have to accept the fact that the first steps may come with pain and heartache.  A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.  

Resilience starts and ends with action.  We can’t retreat back into the shell at our first sign of adversity.  We have to keep the faith.  Imperfection is not the enemy of success.  Only inaction.

We can’t get better unless we act.  So why wait another day?