In the late 17th-century, Lord Chesterfield, an English writer and politician, wrote to his son, “Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.” Over three hundred years later, we still heed this advice from the fourth Earl of Chesterfield. Yet, doing something well doesn’t mean doing it perfectly. The 21st-century workplace requires more than doing something well.
Today’s adage should be: “Whatever is worth doing, is worth doing.” That’s the secret people who are winning at working know. It’s action, not inaction, practice not theory, and progress not perfection that builds success, achieves results, and actualizes dreams.
After hearing me speak at a conference, a young woman sought me out. She was struggling with this concept of progress over perfection and asked for advice. “How do you do it?” she asked. “How do you accept something as finished when you know it could be better?” She explained she was (continue reading →)