Daily Inspiration 12-7-10

"When you aim for perfection,

you discover it's a moving target."

-- George Fisher

"Always live up to your standards--

by lowering them, if necessary."

-- Mignon Mclaughlin

Everything that I do, I want to be good, but I don't care about perfection. I want to improve everything that I do constantly, but perfection will always be just an idea that someone thought up. It doesn't really exist in the way many people think of it because it is changing moment to moment.

It's better to get something done, to do my best, to produce than to fret over details that will most likely be insignificant tomorrow. I'll give you a personal example.

I wrote my first song when I was 18 and at the time, it was way cool. It was cool because I'd never written a song before, and now I had written one. Some time passes, and fourteen years later, I decide to write songs. I started putting them out in volume and with the encouragement of a friend, I kept putting them out. When I look back now 28 years later, I think they were pretty bad, but if it weren't for those, I would never have written some that were pretty darn good that touched a number of people and that brought me such satisfaction. Had it not been for a willingness to act without delay, I dare say none would have been written.

Every day is an improvement from the last and I let go of what was for what is now. I give it my best shot with what I have to work with in the time frame I have to work with it, and ship the product. Think of the first cell phones and how bad they were compared with what is available today. If I can look back and say to myself honestly that I was doing the best I could with what I had, who I was and the time frame I was operating under, it stands proudly as accomplishment worth doing.

As a writer, I am constantly improving my craft. I want to get better, I am willing to get better, I am willing to fail and I am focused on production through practice. The more I write, the better I get. Of course, mistakes are made. I may forget to run spellcheck, or spellcheck may not find the wrong word choice, but it doesn't really matter to me. I've done my best under the circumstances, and I leave it there without regret. There is time enough tomorrow to improve, but I can do nothing but view yesterday.

They say, if it is worth doing, it is worth doing well. I agree, and the most important part of that statement is "it is worth doing." It is in the doing that we grow.

Aim, Fire, Ready. Give It Your Best Shot, But Shoot.

Spread Some Joy Today--Sometimes perfectionism is just another word for procrastination, or excuse. This world would never move forward without production. Since perfection is an idea that is constantly moving, relax in the fact that doing is the best course of action.