Imagine I'm Bob Ross, and I'm telling you to paint the perfect picture. Are you actually getting the canvas and the paints out. Or is it looking picture perfect in your head. Especially in a time where we have so much content, tutorials, and even people's lives all online, readily available; it becomes easy to live vicariously through other people.
It's easy to strike gold, but how many of us take the time to mine every last piece. We see no gains and immediately decide to fold. It probably doesn't work anyway. And being within the parameters is safer than going out of them, right? Firstly a good idea is usually against the status quo. Not always. But most of the time. Either improving something that already exists or creating something new altogether, innovation is the key to success; now more than ever before.
First is not always best
In the case of many companies, the first to the scene is not always the one who monopolises the system. The famous case of Blockbuster and Netflix. Although admittedly riding a different wave of the new streaming era, it's clear that the video giant was in a position to dominate with a few adjustments. Instead of sticking closely to what they already knew. However the most valuable asset for our understanding is the search engine of Yahoo! and Google. As the first search engine on the rise of the internet, Yahoo! seemed set to have it all under its domain. Yet Google's approach of minimising distractions, creating something clean and simple completely blew Yahoo! out of the waters. In 2000, the site had 56% of search engine referrals, compared to Google's 1% but in 2021 we all know how it's turned out. Although it may not be commonplace occurrence, MySpace and Facebook spark several similarities meaning that taking something and making it better shouldn't be understated. And let's be honest watching the underdog win against the machine often make the best movies.
Stand by it and persevere
First week no gains, first months no gains, first years no gains. Suddenly one day it all changes. Instead of aiming for perfection, look for compound effect of incremental changes. What you do now can have significant impacts further down the line. And all from just showing up. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. So increase your chances, scope out the opportunities and spread.
Planning
Admittedly, having a clear cut plan is not always easy. When presented with all sorts of avenues and routes, it can get overwhelmingly difficult to navigate. I would argue that not understanding every exact detail is key because having everything to the dot can sometimes be too regimented, without room for adapting. However making mountains into molehills with actionable steps often makes the daunting task, well, easier. Systemising flow and drawing up the general steps, before filling in with details, dates and aims can reduce the stress in your mind and a coordination to bring the whole picture together.
Remember that nothing is a given. And putting in the work now can lead to bigger things ahead.
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