When I was starting my online business, I worried about things that didn’t matter.
I got stuck in the details.
It was only by taking action that I learned what mattered, and what didn’t.
I see this happening with clients, and members in the Academy.
People get stuck on trivial things.
They want absolute clarity before moving forward, but clarity doesn’t come until you move forward.
You uncover your path as you take action. You cannot figure things out before you start.
We think we know what matters
But we really don’t.
You could say that you can learn what matters, but you don’t really know until you’ve gone through it yourself.
You have to learn what matters to you and your business.
You can only do that by making mistakes and learning from them.
So I see people fall into the same traps over and over again. I fell into these same traps myself, so don’t feel bad if you can identify with some of these.
Here are a few examples:
- Coming up with the perfect domain name
- Finding the perfect idea
- Blending all of your passions into one business
- Having the perfect business plan
- Getting a great design
- Structuring your website just right
At its core, it’s about fear. The fear of failing and ruining your chances of doing what you love.
However, the only way you’ll fail is by trying to get things perfect. Because trying to adhere to an idea of perfection leaves you paralyzed.
You stop moving, learning, and growing.
And then you end up frustrated, bitter, or depressed.
The video
Here’s the accompanying video for this article. It’s great, and it’s short. Watch it.
And if you want more videos like this, subscribe to my YouTube channel here.
The art of doing work you love
What helped me get going with my business was to not take it so seriously.
Sounds like the opposite of what you should do, doesn’t it?
The fact of the matter is that when I don’t take things so seriously, I allow myself to play. When I play, I have fun, and when I have fun, good things seem to happen.
And if you’re just getting started, you don’t know what matters, so why not experiment and enjoy the process? You might as well, right?
To put this in more concrete terms, below are three things that helped me get started when I was stuck in trying to get things just so:
1. Challenge your preconceptions
When I started, I thought I needed an expensive design. Now I see that I don’t. I just need a simple design that allows visitors to read and watch my content.
I thought I wasn’t a good enough writer when I started in 2009, yet when I began to publicize my writing I realized that people liked what I wrote. Not everyone, but most.
Taking action, and seeing how wrong I was, helped me detach from my assumptions and thoughts. I noticed that I had no clue what was right or wrong.
I learned that all I could do was follow my inner GPS, and see what happened. That’s how I cultivated my mindset of conducting experiments, and letting go of assumptions.
2. Aim for good enough
All I can ever do is the best I can with what I have.
I make mistakes, but I learn from them. When I created my first information product, I saw it as a learning experience. The funny thing is that I’ve kept that same perspective to this day.
I see everything I do as an experiment. I don’t know if it’s going to work. All I can do is follow what feels magnetic, and do my best.
I still want things to be perfect, but I remind myself to aim for good enough. I don’t try to get anything to 100% perfect. Instead, I aim for 80-90%.
Then I gather constructive feedback, and I improve what I’m doing.
3. Experiment and learn
I constantly try to get feedback from the right people.
If I’m writing a book, I’ll get it to good enough, then I’ll send it to a few people. This is scary at first, but it gets me out of my head.
I can make all sorts of assumption about my book, but my assumptions are irrelevant. What matters are what (the right) people think about it. If my early-reviewers say that they’d like more examples, then that’s what’s needed.
I often discover that what I think should be improved isn’t what needs improving at all.
I’m not a genius. I don’t consider myself smarter than you. I’m simply more willing to get my work out there, and see what happens. I’m more willing to challenge my own assumptions about life and business.
I know that I can get spooked by my mind, so I conduct experiments, and I gather data from real people.
Because to be honest, I don’t know what’s going on. I simply do what I love. I share stories that help people.
I do my best.
It’s as the Chinese say:
“Good news? Bad news? Who knows.”
Let it be a complete mess
What helped me get through those chaotic early years was to let things be messy.
My fears are there. I want to get things perfect. I want to figure things out. I want to succeed.
But my priority is always to my inner GPS, and what makes me come alive.
Things will be as messy as they have to be. I will keep following my heart, my own convictions, no matter how scared I am. This is what I am here to do.
I don’t have any other choice.
If I don’t follow what feels magnetic, I’ll end up miserable.
The bottom line
If you’re just starting, you don’t really know what matters and what doesn’t.
If you’ve never even started a blog, you can drive yourself crazy trying to get it perfect, because you don’t know what perfection looks like, so you chase a mirage.
Then you end up stuck and frustrated.
Yet all you have to do is be willing to start before you feel ready.
Ask yourself: What is the next tiniest step that I am able to take?
Then take that step.
Enjoy!
Henri
P.S. Are you interested in learning how I’ve built a lifestyle business? Then I recommend you check out the Lifestyle Liberation Academy. Right now, you can sign up to the Academy newsletter and gain access to a 3-part video training series on doing what you love.
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This is all good stuff! It really motivates and inspires me to get going to do my best or worst, but just get going! Thanks:)
Yes. Yes! Absolutely. Get the information you need, but only enough to take the next step, then move.
Thanks, Henri! I learn a lot from you. My first attempts at blogging, writing books, writing for brokers……..were all over the board. It’s natural to cope with chaos at first. Only now, after 3 years! Is it all coming together. AH
This came to me just at the right time! I often suffer from information overload which stalls me.
Thank you for nudging back on course.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, just keep it moving!
Glad to be of service 🙂
Great article, Henri. I totally agree that,”you cannot figure things out before you start”. This article is a savior. This one cuts right through the cluttering of the mind (doubt, fear, negativity, misconceptions, assumptions, other people’s opinions, etc.).
You have inspired me to go forth and do what makes me feel alive.
Thanks Henri.
This is why I started my website. It’s a personal site and I have plans for others but when I just do and have fun and quit taking things so seriously, I’m happy and things just go how they do, which allows me to see how things really work.
That is so true. I’ve gone through the same list of small details: domain name, perfect design etc. None of that is important if it keeps you from starting.
I’ve been helping a friend start her business and see her dealing with the same stuff. She has a lot of ideas but can’t take action on any of those. I think mainly because she wants to get everything right and perfect from the start.
None of that stuff really matters if you don’t start. My advise is: start, now, anything. You can worry about the little details later if you still find them important enough. The most important thing is just to START. If you picked the wrong business or niche, no worries, start again. It gets easier to start another business once you’ve got going.
Haha, if you don’t mind I will speak my heart 😉
Thank you Henri for this refreshing, human, clear and easy to grasp approach. I love the way you get people to ground again.
Thank you for sharing!
Best, Joshua
I agree with you totally on the issue of
becoming perfect. You don’t need to be perfect
before you start your business. I believe in
these saying “…. You can’t be perfect but you
can be good enough…”
Great post Henri, love the video, very inspiring. I always remember this quote :
You dont have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great!
Hi Henri,
I really liked this piece. I could definitely relate to a lot of it and thankfully I’ve come a long way in dealing with these issues. 🙂
-Seline
Hi Henri,
This is a simple yet brilliant article. It is so true, that when beginning something new all people experience the fear of being unable to make it perfect from the start. We keep questioning ourselves in mind: what will happen if I can’t do this or fail to do that? Then we may even repeatedly imagine what if we really fail. This kind of thought arises because our mind tends to want to finish all tasks that it perceives as soon as possible and successfully. Thus, the more things we have to do, particularly the details required to make our effort succeed, the more fearful we become.
Yet, we can decrease our fear only if we move and act. I have heard that, “Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.” Moreover, only by action will whatever we have to do next get clearer, and at the same time this adds to more calmness since more of our tasks already get done. Hence, I conclude from your writing that whenever we need to do something new, especially a big project such as starting a business, we can start with a mindset that all things won’t be perfect from the beginning. Afterward, we start moving and finishing the tasks one at a time while also learning on the way.
In fact, I have also just started something new and experience this same thing everyone faces. Having read your writing, I feel better and consider this article well-explained and useful for anyone who wants to initiate a new endeavor. From now on, I will learn to ‘experiment and enjoy the process’. Thank you for this enlightenment and I hope that you accomplish more excellent things through this website. Glad to know you!
Henri,
This is a fantastic post! For some reason, your posts always seem to come out at the right time. (Maybe it’s because most of the topics that I have read from you directly apply to life and business and everything else wrapped up into one!)
Anyway, I really resonate with number 2, doing our best is something that’s in our control. We should move forward with that.
Thanks for the great post, Henri! You’re making a positive impact on so many individuals!
Jacob
Thanks so much for the free guidance and information. I had a “eureka” moment while reading it. Since I believe it is the crazy ideas that have the most potential to be successful, especially when they innovate a great idea that others are already using, I may just have a plan.
Can you tell me if it is possible to run a real business from any of the free websites, or do you have to pay for one to really use it for a business. Also, is it hard to setup credit card payment online. Is pay-pal the only way??
Again, thanks and I will continue to follow you!
Janet
Hey Henri,
Thank you for another fantastic, reality-based post that gave me a kick in the pants!
It’s all about putting one foot in front of the other.
Moving in a direction – whether it’s the right direction or not.
I’ve always been a perfectionist and it has been a curse. “Analysis Paralysis” is generally the malady that manifests in the end.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to relax and listen to my inner GPS to determine whether I’m on point or out in left field.
My intuition is extremely powerful and it’s often my best friend when I don’t know what to do or where to look.
One of my favorite exercises for disconnecting from the time-space dilemma is to build something with LEGO blocks. My son and I do this together frequently and it is a great source of relaxation and release.
Often in the middle of building something I get an answer or a piece of insight that puts another piece of the puzzle in place.
It’s effortless and powerful.
I’m taking the next tiniest step and so far it feels right.
Thanks again for the awesome post!