Scrolling through Facebook after a long day of work one day, I came across this quote:
“If you wait until you have all of your ducks in a row, you’d never get across the street. Sometimes you just have to gather up what you’ve got and make a run for it.”
It resonated with me to my core, making me think back on all of the missed opportunities I had because I wanted to do tons of research on a subject before I made a decision—like my most recent endeavor I’m starting: a clothing line. I wanted to research what platform to go with to have the garments created, who was the better company in terms of customer service, who I could use as an on demand printer, etc.
Honestly, the anxiety that caused, left me unable to make a decision due to the extreme apprehension about making the wrong choice. The main reason for that is because I was afraid of failure and I didn’t want to dive in if it wasn’t going to be an instant success.
That mindset has truly hurt me more than helped over the years. It’s something that I continually struggle with and against.
My mother told me a story about my grandfather (her dad) and a childhood friend of his that helps me when I find myself stuck.
My grandfather is not a handy man but his best friend growing up was a contractor so when my grandparents decided to convert a garage into an apartment, my grandfather called his friend. They built a beautiful two story apartment. It included a staircase that was to the left of the entryway as you came into the apartment. When the inspector came, he told my grandfather the stairway was too narrow. After the inspector left, my grandfather called his friend and told him. His friend replied, “Don’t worry, there is no mistake I can make that I can’t fix!”
Life is not about always getting it right the first time. It is about what you can do when you get it wrong. If you don’t like what you build, fix it until you get what you want or build something else.
The important thing is to keep moving forward. This doesn’t mean I’m going to stop researching and making the best decision I can based on my research, it just means that if the path I choose today doesn’t lead where I thought it would or where I want it to, I can veer from that path and try a different one.
I encourage you to do the same. Stick to your goals but, if something isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to try something different. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and there are multiple ways to skin a cat!