Back in 1746, Philip Stanhope, the 4th Earl of Chesterfield, wrote a letter to his son saying:
“If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”
Someone must have gotten ahold of that letter, or maybe the Earl’s son was a better listener than most kids, because that saying has been passed around ever since.
Well, I think it’s bullocks.
It’s the kind of saying that’s easy to agree with at first. Why wouldn’t you want to do something well?
The problem with “doing something well” is that it’s fodder for perfectionism and procrastination.
“I’m writing a blog post, and I should do it well…”
This translates to:
- Two days researching “how to write a good blog post”
- Three days thinking about a topic that might qualify for “well done”
- Two days lost down a YouTube rabbit hole because this blog writing is so stressful
- Giving up because clearly, you don’t have time to write blog posts
A week wasted on overthinking about “doing it well,” with nothing to show for it, when you could just write the bloody thing.
I’ve fully embraced the Fast and Messy method of creation. I am the Queen of Shitty First Drafts and flying by the seat of my pants.
I begin things without knowing how to complete them.
Why would I adopt such a crazy way of doing things?
Well, it enabled me to write 50,000 words of a novel in a month. It helped me start a business without knowing what I wanted to do, and it allowed me to sell courses I hadn’t yet created.
In short, it makes creating something in the world faster, easier and inevitable.
There’s no judgement about whether this is “done well enough.” The goal is simply to do it. I can fix the quality afterwards.
Now, I’m sure there’s a place for doing things well. Like brain surgery or wiring up a fuse box.
I’d kind of like my surgeon to know what she’s doing, and it would be nice to not die in an electrical fire.
But these are life and death circumstances! “Doing things well” isn’t helpful when it comes to doing something in your business. I mean, no one is going to die as a consequence of your bad video editing.
If you’ve never done something before, it’s supposed to be messy and clumsy. It comes with the territory.
It’s only through repeated doing that you ever get to “well done” in the first place.
Recently, I’ve replaced this outdated aphorism with a new motto from Carolyn Lovewell, the infamous witch and irreverent bodhisattva:
“If something is worth doing, it’s worth making a giant fool of myself over and over while doing it.”
Isn’t it?
Would you be willing to do something imperfectly in service of creating the impact and income you desire?
I want to emphasize that my fast and messy, willing to make a fool of myself motto, is NOT a belief.
It’s an attitude that emerges naturally from knowing that I’ll be okay, no matter how things turn out. I have nothing to lose, and everything, even failing, can be enjoyable.
This is why you might want to join us for REFLECT: Rediscover Joyful Direction, Focus and Ease.
We’ll be creating our lives with lightness and ease, knowing that there is truly nothing dangerous at stake, playing full out and joyfully.
In fact, you might have noticed that I throw myself in over my head all the time, and I let you see it. You get to watch me model wild, messy creation in real-time through every experience we have together.
There’s no limitation on what you might imagine for your future, and when you know (really know) that you have the creative power of the entire Universe on your side, there is nothing you won’t dare.
Right now, you can get access to REFLECT (and five other programs!) with your IMPACT membership.
https://theawakenedbusiness.com/impactinvite
Yours in love and play,
Steph
