Great people do things before they are ready: A beautiful quote by Amy Poehler talks about doing great things vs waiting for perfection. If I waited for perfection, nothing would be achieved – instead, just time would be lost in the process. This quote makes the most sense in the perspective of a startup where you’re expected to do multiple things at once. What’s the best way to take inspiration from this quote – great people do things before they are ready? In this article, I’ll try to explore the meaning and analysis of this quote in the context of a startup and how you can use it most effectively.
Great people do things before they are ready
This quote works effectively in a startup scenario where you have to do multiple things at once. It is difficult to run a startup – with limited resources, you’re expected to do idea creation, product development and marketing – all at the same time. This is precisely where we’ve to take inspiration from this quote – great people do things before they are ready.
In other words, you have to start selling your product even before it is ready. This is all about idea creation and gathering feedback right – the more you can start off quick – the better your results will be. It is not easy, but certainly, speed alone can get you results. It may be that you’ll be able to explain your idea better in the process and fine-tune it.
If I waited for perfection – nothing ever would be done. The same motto applies when we talk about this quote – great people do things before they are ready. It only means that they don’t wait for everything to be perfect before they start. Instead, they just start and keep learning from experiences to improve their odds.
If I waited for perfection
It is a simple quote but can you afford to wait for perfection when you start something new? I’ve often wondered about the right approach – do you wait for everything to be right before you start? And if you do – what happens if that perfect situation never occurs? Won’t you lose out on all the time which is the most precious thing whether you build a startup or rush after your ambition?
If I waited for perfection – things will never be done. I believe this is the same principle we can apply to time management as well. If we’re waiting, the amount of time lost in the process will only bring your deadline closer. Don’t wait for perfection, instead, just start with what you have. You can continually work and improve your situation in small steps.
The other point I’d like to make is that perfection is an awful goal for two reasons
- You will never be able to achieve perfection in its true sense. This makes it a self defeating goal because you’ll never be able to enjoy your results
- It takes an awful long time to start anything. In this case even if you’re perfect, you’d have lost the goal because others would’ve moved along to create quicker results. You’ll be able to relate to this while developing an MVP for a startup.
Doing great things
Doing great things is hard. It takes lots of work and also explaining to other people around you. Sometimes, the best way to explain is to take small steps which can explain your vision better. Not everyone will be able to understand your vision when you start. It is clear only in your mind.
The best way to bring someone along with your vision while doing great things is to do small things which give results. These results help people to understand both your commitment to your ideas and also your vision. It is no wonder that actions speak louder than words. What better actions than these small results which can show your progress. If I wait for perfection – nothing will ever happen. In that case, does it make sense at all to wait for this elusive thing called perfection?
Great people do things before they are ready
Amy Poehler (Source)