You’re Gonna Suck at First – Do it Anyway

Can we be honest with each other? Is there something you want to start that you know will bring freedom to your life? Something you need to do but haven’t because you’re afraid you’ll suck?

Maybe you haven’t started working out because you don’t want to look clueless at the gym? Perhaps it’s a business idea that you’re afraid you don’t know enough about? I imagine we all have a creative pursuit we’ve dreamed about since childhood which we’ve been told is unrealistic.

What have you been afraid to start?

Let me put your worries to rest. You’re probably gonna suck. That’s why you should do it anyway.

The truth is that we all suck at first. Let me highlight two words – WE ALL. Even history’s greats sucked at first.

• Vincent Van Gogh only sold ONE painting in his lifetime. Today, his most expensive painting is valued at $150 million.
• Walt Disney was fired from his job because he lacked imagination. Today there are 12 Disney Theme Parks worldwide.
• Dr. Seuss was rejected by 27 different publishers. By the time of his death, his most popular books had sold over 600 million copies and had been translated into 20 different languages.

I’m not telling you this to discourage you. Had someone been honest with me, I would have started a lot of things sooner.

Looking back, I see that I was terrified that I too would suck. I was overcome with fear of criticism, failure, and rejection.

I’m grateful I found the courage to start because I learned a very valuable lesson. The quicker you start, the quicker you get over the suck.

I can look back now and see how far I’ve come. But you know what’s more exciting? When I get to see the same progression from others.

The other day I was watching a video from one of my favorite YouTube channels. Everything I had watched previously from this guy had been produced during the previous 10 months. As I was watching this particular video I thought, wow, he’s being super douchey.

He was talking over his guests, turning the conversation back to him, and excessively self-promoting. There was a moment I wondered if he was drunk. Curious, I looked at the date the video was uploaded.

The video was nearly four years old. At that point, I went from being completely turned off to being amazed by how far he has come.

We all go through this same process. None of us know what we’re doing when we start out. Once we find the courage to start, we learn, we grow, and we change.

If you are going to do work that matters, you’re going to suck at first. It’s just part of the journey. You have to go through the suck on your way to awesome. The people who matter won’t remember that you sucked. Instead, they’ll help you celebrate how far you’ve come.

What do you want to do? Look at those who have gone before you and look at their work today. Then look at their work from the very beginning. You’ll be amazed to find that they started just like you.

Give yourself the permission to suck. Do it anyway. Keep at it. Keep getting better.

Before you know it, everyone will be talking about how far you’ve come.