We’ve all been there.
Staring at a blank page, a half-finished deck, or an un-launched product — paralyzed not by a lack of ideas, but by the urge to get everything just right.
But here’s a quiet truth that most high performers eventually learn: done is better than perfect.
And in most real-world contexts, it’s the only way anything meaningful gets built.
The Perfection Trap
Perfectionism often wears a clever disguise — ambition, attention to detail, high standards.
But beneath the surface, it’s usually fear.
Fear of judgment. Fear of failure. Fear of not being good enough.
The irony?
The longer we delay action in the name of perfection, the more we miss the opportunity to learn, improve, and move forward.
In the startup world, there’s a mantra:
If you’re not embarrassed by your first version, you launched too late.
Because progress is iterative, and perfection is a moving target.
Waiting until everything is flawless means you never ship. Never learn. Never grow.
Execution Builds Momentum
Getting it done — even if it’s imperfect — builds momentum.
You get feedback. You gain clarity. You uncover blind spots.
Whether it’s writing a blog, pitching an idea, or starting a fitness habit, completion triggers the feedback loop that real improvement depends on.
Take my own experience: I’ve built multiple tools over the years — dashboards, planners, calculators.
Many of them weren’t perfect when I released them.
I had doubts about the logic, the look and feel, the results they produced.
But those very tools sparked conversations, revealed new insights, and helped me iterate.
Progress came not from polish, but from practice.
Perfection is Not Final — It’s Iterative
In Japanese aesthetics, there’s a concept called Wabi-sabi — the beauty of imperfection and impermanence.
Cracks, wrinkles, asymmetry — all are part of an object’s character.
The same applies to your work.
What matters is forward motion, not flawless brushstrokes.
When you adopt a progress-first mindset:
- You iterate faster.
- You learn from real outcomes.
- You free yourself from the mental tax of procrastination.
The first version isn’t the final version.
It’s the starting point.
Advaita Vedanta: Detachment from the Result
Advaita Vedanta offers a powerful reminder:
“You have the right to act, but not to the fruits of your action.”
Your job is to show up, act with intention, and release the outcome.
Waiting for perfection is just attachment in disguise.
Getting it done is action without attachment — the true essence of Karma Yoga.
A Coaching Moment
A friend’s daughter — a brilliant designer — kept delaying her portfolio launch.
“It’s not ready,” she said. “I just need one more tweak.”
Weeks turned into months.
Finally, I asked: “Is your goal to impress, or to progress?”
That weekend, she launched.
The first version wasn’t perfect — but it got her interviews.
One of them turned into a job offer.
The lesson?
