Half-Baked Thoughts
Great is the enemy of Good
Hi,
I hope you are well. I have been thinking about trying new things and executing new projects and why we often fail or lose interest very early. If I wanted to start a channel reviewing tech gadgets, the first thing I am likely to do is check out Marques Brownlee’s YouTube channel. Look at his production value, how great his video look, how much he spends on the camera, the gadget, the audio tech. His work is brilliant, but I know there is no way my content is going to be in the same league. I stop.
What I fail to realise and acknowledge is that the first dozen videos that Brownlee or anyone else made were probably horrible. It is okay for me to make mediocre content, as long as I am making content. A lot of what makes creators good is iterating, incorporating feedback and improving their work process.
Anyone who knew me from Class 5 - 12 probably knew me as a quizzer. Back then, quizzing was not something I did, it was part of my identity. I was not the best quizzer, but in my small city, I was definitely one of the best in my age group for the better part of a decade. I remember the first time I auditioned for quiz selections. A teacher asked me in third standard what the source of energy in a plant was and I confidently said the stem. I was wrong and at that point I felt quizzing was not my thing. However, a year later I lucked out and won a local quiz and kept doing it. Before long, I was good. If I had stopped the first time I lost, I would have lost 8 absolutely fun years of my life.
All of us have our own interests but we stop ourselves from getting in because we think we will not make great work. But that is seldom the point. The point is to keep coming up with good work and persist till it becomes great. Aspiring for greatness from day one is what prevents us from creating good work.
TLDR: If you are starting something new, do not try to create something great. Make good work, keep working and persist till it becomes great. Do not stop because product of day one is mediocre.
PS: The point is not that I was a good quizzer but that is the only thing I worked on for so long even though I was bad initially. These random thoughts are not meant to be hustle porn or life gyan.
Looking forward to writing to you soon.