Just Do It

"I'll get started after I've studied it a bit more. I'm almost ready; I just need more background knowledge."

I got to meet some inspiring people at the Seth Godinevent in Minneapolis last Thursday. The woman who said she'd get started "after I've studied" was not one of them. She was nice. She was friendly. And she thinks she'll make a million dollars off of the business idea she wants to study more. She won't.

It's not that her idea can't make a million dollars. Million dollar ideas happen every day -- often the things we least expect. No, the reason she won't make a million dollars is because she's not working on her idea.

I believe her when she says she needs more information before her idea is perfect. Perfection doesn't happen. And it most definitely doesn't happen if you don't get started. By studying instead of doing, she risks nothing. By risking nothing, she has no chance of failing. But she has no chance of succeeding, either.

There are things she can do while still studying. Ways she can start DOING. She can write up a business plan. She can look for investors. She can mock up a product. Once she mocks up a product she can start selling it -- even though it won't be perfect. I've never met a customer who would rather buy a perfect nonexistent product instead of an imperfect product that actually exists. (If you know of any, send them my way. I'll sell them plenty of perfect nothings.)

The point is to start. Education and research is important, but they can quickly become excuses to never go anywhere. If you have something you want to do - do it. It takes just five minutes to get started on something. So get started.

What "perfect problems" can you overcome by spending just five minutes actually working on them?

Someone Else's Time

Sometimes it's someone else's five minutes that makes a difference in your life.

I'm going to Seth Godin: Live in Minneapolis on Thursday. I'm broke, and about to be unemployed, but he inspires me enough that I know he's worth it. I live 8 hours from Minneapolis, so I'm taking the next three days off. And, although I'm not a fan of driving long distances, I am giddy -- yes, giddy -- about this trip. I am going to a question ad answer session with someone whose advice I respect. Someone whose words and ideas inspire me.

It was actually a blog post of Seth Godin
(and the egging on of Ginger Reader, blogger at BADD)that got me started writing this blog. His post was about how, if you rock for just five minutes a day, you can do extraordinary things.

I have that particular bog post printed out and hanging in my cubicle. Not only does it remind me to have an extraordinary five minutes every day, it reminds me that, when I do something less than extraordinary, it's okay. Not everything has to be fantastic, awesome, spectacular. And that's important to remember.

The (less than) five minutes I spent reading that post have influenced me and others I've shared it with.

What has influenced you in just five minutes?