I wanted this first post to be a well-written, interesting, and compelling work of art…but it’s not.
I had several ideas that I wanted to start with, some of them are semi-developed.
I thought, “soon, one of these ideas will be finished and I’ll finally hit the publish button. I just need some more time staring at one of these half formed articles and then I’ll magically have the insight to craft something perfect.”
…but the whole time I was ignoring a basic principle of improv.
Starting.
In improv, sometimes you have no idea how to initiate a scene but you just take a step out and start. Start anything. Moving, motioning, speaking. Literally anything. I realized that I wasn’t following this idea with this site. The truth is, sometimes it takes starting to gain a little momentum and only then does the scene become interesting.
What was I waiting for? Greatness. I was waiting to publish something amazing but I was worried that I would be starting this site off on the wrong foot. I was scared that whatever I wrote wouldn’t be good enough. Do I expect this to be the best written piece of work ever to appear online? Can I articulate exactly what I am thinking? What if I fail?
“Perfect is the enemy of the good.”
In improv, it’s just one scene. Just start again. Try, learn something, and just start over.
I realized that I will get better over time, but only if I try. I started taking m own advice on living life through the principles of improv.
“Excellence is not a singular act.”
Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. Trust yourself. Take that step out on to the stage.
Just Start.
What do you want to start today?