I just posted a video I made based on a question I often get asked, "am I enough of an expert to write a book?" I did several takes of this video, and after one that seemed "good enough," I took a break and realized I was done filming for the day.
When I watched the video, I noticed several things I wasn't thrilled about. I said "you know" quite a few times (along with several "ums"). One of my laughs sounded strange. And while my thoughts seemed pretty clear, they jumped from here to there, and back again, more than I felt comfortable with. In other words, I was judging (and criticizing) myself right and left.
The video was by no means "perfect," which left me with a choice. Do I post it as is? Or do I wait and try to get a better take tomorrow?
I chose to take imperfect action. To get a video up, rather than try to create a perfect video.
After posting a link to my video on twitter, I got this response from Sunni Seckinger:
Brokenlyfe Great video, I loved it! It gives me real hope that I CAN finish my book and share it with others :)
Because I chose imperfect action over perfectionism, I had the opportunity to touch another person's heart with my words. That's powerful. Sunni wasn't judging my "performance," she was listening to what I had to say, searching for ideas that would calm her fears and inspire her to move forward on her own book writing journey.
That's what we're all looking for when we read a blog post or watch a video. Information that will help, inform, or inspire us.
Having made and posted this imperfect video, tonight, I had the chance to connect with people who need what I have to give, and the video I make tomorrow will be better for it.
What imperfect action can you take?
