I have worked in finance for decades, during which time I have also written — film, television, children’s books. But I always kept writing and money separate. A while ago, I realized it would be fun, and maybe actually helpful to some people, for me to write about money. Tips on budgeting, credit cards, allowance for kids, and other ways to use money and financial metrics to improve quality of life. So, I decided to start a blog, but it was a challenge for me to choose what my first blog would be about. I made lists of subjects that were good, but not for my first blog. My first blog has to be perfect. Many topics I plan to write about are important, but not necessarily Important, capital I. Days became weeks, weeks became months, and my blog was just waiting. That’s when I realized a great topic for my blog: Getting Started. But was that good enough for my first blog? Months became over a year. My blog was a living example of Voltaire’s quote, “Perfect is the enemy of good.”
With the launch of my new website this month, I decided to stop waiting for perfect. No more excuses. I am starting my monthly blog and this is my second blog post, about Getting Started. I still don’t know what my first blog post is about yet. I may never know. But that doesn’t have to keep me from starting. Many times, writing a script or story, I would start in the middle. It’s a little trick that I would use, that let me finish a project, then go back and start it. Do-Re-Mi teaches the beginning is “A very good place to start,” but that may not always be true. Sometimes, it’s easier to start in the middle and take a few steps back later, when you’re ready. At least, that’s the case for me. When I decided this was my second blog, it took off the pressure. This didn’t have to be a Pulitzer Prize level, game changing essay. It didn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be good. It just has to be. And now it is!
Is there a project you have been wanting to start? Are you waiting for the “perfect” moment. Start something now. If it’s safe to start in the middle, like Nike says, “Just do it.” I mean, don’t start driving lessons on the freeway or begin med school with open heart surgery. Go ahead, start at the beginning if that’s better for you — as long as you start. Don’t let the beginning keep you from starting.