Look, I get it. You want to make something amazing. Maybe you’re sitting there with some idea for a novel, a business plan, a side hustle, a new hobby, or even a damn Pinterest board that you’ve been “perfecting in your head” for six months. But guess what? None of it exists because you’re too busy overthinking the color scheme or wondering if it’s good enough to impress people who probably don’t give a flying f*.
You know what’s better than perfect? Real. Existing. Done. Whatever word you want to slap on it, the point is that your masterpiece doesn’t need to come out of the womb looking like Beyoncé. It just needs to exist so you can work on making it good later. Stop holding your ideas hostage in your own head!
Step 1: Get Over Your Precious Ego
Perfectionism is just insecurity wearing a fancy-ass suit. You’re scared that what you make might suck. Newsflash: it probably will. At least at first. That’s the deal—you make the ugly, half-baked version first, and then you improve it. Writing a book? Your first draft will read like a toddler mashed a keyboard. Starting a business? Your logo might look like a rejected 2002 WordArt design. THAT’S FINE. Because “bad” is fixable. Nonexistent is not.
Step 2: Progress Kicks Perfection’s Ass
Momentum beats waiting for the “perfect time” every damn day. You’ve gotta take steps—wobbly, awkward steps—before you can run. Stop polishing the theoretical turd in your head. Draft the crappy blog post. Launch the janky Etsy store. Scribble the first sketch of your idea on a napkin. Who cares? The only way to actually improve is by showing up and doing the work. Good comes after done.
Step 3: The Magic of Fixing Crap
Let me tell you a secret: It’s way easier to fix something that sucks than to create something perfect from scratch. The first draft, the beta test, the ugly website—they’re all starting points. You can tweak, improve, refine, and revise. But if you’re too chicken to start, you’ve got NOTHING to fix.Creativity and innovation thrive in the mess. You can’t steer a parked car, my dude.
Step 4: Nobody Cares as Much as You Think
Here’s some tough love: the world is not watching you with a clipboard, waiting to judge your every move. Most people are too busy scrolling TikTok or trying to figure out what to eat for dinner. So why the hell are you holding yourself to a higher standard than literally anyone else would? Just put it out there. Whether it’s good, bad, or laughably bad, people will forget about it in five minutes. You’re free to suck in peace.
Step 5: Done is the Launchpad
Getting something done, no matter how flawed, sets the stage for improvement. Once it’s out there, you can collect feedback, learn what works, and adjust. That’s how every great thing was made. Nobody remembers that the iPhone launched without a copy-and-paste feature, or that Netflix started as a freaking DVD rental service. What matters is that those ideas existed first. The fine-tuning came later. So yeah, make your $%@& exist.
Step 6: Celebrate the Ugly First Draft
Did you write 200 terrible words for your novel? Great. Did you paint something that looks like your dog sneezed on the canvas? Fantastic. Did you slap together a business pitch that made you cringe? Hell yes. That’s all progress. Clap for yourself and keep moving. The only bad first draft is the one that doesn’t exist.
So What Are You Waiting For?
The graveyard is full of unrealized ideas. Do you really want to be one of those people who dies with a head full of “what ifs”? Get the damn thing out of your brain and into the world. Who cares if it’s ugly, awkward, or feels like it’s held together with duct tape and good vibes? You can always make it better later. But you’ll never get anywhere if you don’t make it exist first.
FAQ: Because You’re Probably Still Overthinking This
Q: What if it sucks?
A: It will. At least a little. Congratulations, you’re human! Suck is the prerequisite to good. Keep going.
Q: But I’m not ready!
A: Tough s*. Nobody ever is. Start before you’re ready, because “ready” is a myth invented by people who want to sell you self-help books.
Q: What if people judge me?
A: They might, but also: who the f* cares? Their opinions won’t pay your bills, and most of them are too busy scrolling Instagram to notice.
Q: Can’t I just wait for inspiration?
A: Sure, if you want to wait forever. Inspiration is like a stray cat—you can’t make it show up, but you can lure it in by doing the damn work.
Q: What if I fail?
A: Oh, honey. Failure isn’t the opposite of success; it’s the f*ing fertilizer. Fail, learn, try again. That’s how literally every successful person got where they are.
Don’t Be a Dick (to Yourself or Others)
The world doesn’t need more armchair dreamers who never act. It needs doers—even if they’re messy, awkward, and figuring it out as they go. So make your idea exist, celebrate the process, and for the love of all things holy, be kind to yourself and others while you’re at it. Don’t be a dick!
Now, get out there and create something.