Ship It

I'm reading through Seth Godin's latest book Linchpin right now (I know I'm behind but needed a break in class schedule so that I could focus on this). Just read a quote in the book from Steve Jobs that says, "Real Artists Ship." The point is that whatever you've created isn't art until it's shipped out for people to interact with. It's just a project until it ships. That doesn't sit well with perfectionists because we like the project to be perfect before it is revealed. The problem is that anything you actually create (art) will not be perfect. No matter how hard you work it will not achieve total perfection. Godin goes on to say "Shipping isn't focused on producing a masterpiece." Instead, it's focused on finishing & sharing. If you started that project, isn't it worth finishing, even if it's not perfect? Isn't it worth sharing with others?

So whether it's that blog post that your trying to make absolutely perfect or that lesson plan or sermon that you just have to fine tune one more time, hit publish, ship it, share it. Is it perfect? No. Does it have to be perfect to leave an impact? Again, no.

What are you working on that you are afraid to ship? Isn't it worth finishing & sharing with the world? If not, why did you start it? At one point you thought it was worth it, & it was, & it still is.