Progress Beats Perfection

A while back, I was ironing a shirt, and my 5-year-old granddaughter asked, "What are you doing, Papa?"

I said, "I'm getting the wrinkles out."

After watching me, and then waiting until I was done and had put the shirt on, she said, "Oh, I still see wrinkles."

Nothing like a little honesty from a 5-year-old to humble you!

It reminded me how often we get stuck trying to achieve perfection before finally taking action.

Whenwe started Fulling Management & Accounting, it was far from perfect. We launched without a fully defined mission, only a couple of clients, and honestly, without a clear plan for how we were going to grow. But we did it, and the simple act of taking action allowed those things to develop over time.

Whether it's launching a new business, sharing an idea, or simply making a decision, remember that progress beats perfection.

Sometimes, you just have to “ship it” as Seth Godin would say—even if you still "see wrinkles."

This story came up recently when I was chatting with Dr. William Attaway on the Catalytic Leadership podcast. Here is the link to the full podcast episode.