Anything Worth Doing ...

“If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.” - G. K. Chesterton

No, that’s not a misprint – If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly. I am not sure what Mr. Chesterton meant when he wrote that many years ago, but I have an interpretation for you.

To me, it means anything worth doing is worth struggling through mistakes until you get it right, especially during the early attempts when the execution is sloppy and the process isn’t clear. It means you don’t wait for the “perfect” time to embark on a new course or campaign. It’s stepping out into the unknown before you feel “ready” or “prepared” (hint – for most things worth doing, you will never feel “ready”). It’s having the courage to fail in the moment and to experience sub-par, but also the perseverance to continue through the setbacks to improve and gain mastery. It’s committing to success in the midst of disappointment.

Sometimes you have to stop planning and just execute. Sometimes there are no right answers and the only way to improve is to expose your inadequacies and work through them. You must crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. You have to start somewhere, but most of all, you have to start. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly … at least until you can do it with excellence.

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