Embrace Imperfections
Aaron Scott Young

There’s a myth out there that so many entrepreneurs believe. It’s the myth that they’ve got to have all their ducks in a row before they begin. I run into this all the time. If I’m speaking at an event, people will come up to me and say, “Here’s what I want to do, and I’m going to do it in eighteen months,” or “Oh my gosh, I have this dream. I’m really going to attack it in three years.”

My response is always the same. I ask, “What is it that you’re waiting for? When are you going to be specifically ready?”
More often than not, I find entrepreneurs want everything lined up beautifully – the money, the technology, the vision, and the team before they get going. Here’s a little secret folks, it never works like that.

Everything that’s epic started humbly. Think about Apple or Dell. Both epic companies that started simply and imperfectly; one in a garage and the other in a dorm room. The Japanese have an expression called wabi-sabi. It’s defined as a state of acceptance of the imperfection of life and appreciating that imperfection for its beauty.

The truth is there’s not one path; there’s not one way to get to your goal. Just take your best shot. Take a step. Just take action. It’s going to be wabi-sabi. It’s going to be imperfect. It’s going to be flawed, but it’s going to be beautiful in that imperfection. Because what’s going to happen is as soon as you take a step and another step and another step, you become dramatically separated from the crowd. You are the unusual one now, because you didn’t just fantasize and talk about it to no end. No, you actually moved in the direction of your dream.

Henry David Thoreau once said, “When you move in the direction of your dream, you start to meet with success unexpected in common hours.” And that’s what it’s about – moving towards your dreams.

Start by taking baby steps, imperfect steps, and wobbly steps. You’re going to fall down and bump your little head, but that’s okay because you’re going to be moving. You’re going to keep getting yourself up off the ground. You’re going to keep wobbling imperfectly towards your dream.

Keep going, and don’t worry about judgement as you stumble. We’re all flawed. I once talked to a fabulous painter, who said something brilliant that stuck with me. He said, “I think artists have a crack in their soul and through that crack, God or the universe or inspiration can flow.”

That crack in your soul, that imperfection, that not perfect but beautiful thing, is what makes you unique and attracts people to you.

Think about it this way. Let’s say you go into a house. They’ve got white carpet, perfect furniture, all the pillows are arranged impeccably, the artwork is stunning and the lighting is at just the right level. You walk in there and it’s spotless. Everything is in its place. Everything is without wrinkle. Everything is flawless. Do you feel comfortable just sitting on the furniture and putting your feet up? Hell, no. You feel awkward in that situation.

But then you go to another house that’s cool and funky and cozy. You’re surrounded by interesting art, artifacts and furnishings that pull your attention. The space enthralls you, and it’s not because it’s perfect. It’s because it’s beautiful in its imperfection. It’s fascinating in its diversity.

You see all of your wounds, all of your pimples, all of your imperfections are what draws people to you. They see the chinks in your armor and recognize you’ve been through the ringer like them. Those cracks and scars you’ve earned don’t meant you’re broken. They mean that after all the challenges you’ve endured you didn’t fall apart. You stayed solid, and you’re still standing.
But remember that you don’t get to stand around forever. Life is short. We are going to expire. Our day is going to come when they pull us off the shelf, and our time will be up.

How long are you willing to delay your own personal interest, your own personal dreams, your own personal growth because, “Oh, today’s not a good day for me. I’m worried. I’m imperfect.”
Brothers and sisters, let me tell you what. We’re all imperfect, and if you’re looking for perfection, you’re never going to be satisfied.

The truth is if you can embrace your imperfectness and say, “I’m going to do this regardless of the fact that I’m not ready to do it,” then you’re going to achieve a lot more progress and success. Almost always, prosperity follows those who have the out of the box idea and begin to pursue it. They get the tiger by the tail, and quietly, imperfectly, pursue their vision.

Now, eventually systems and processes have to be brought in and everything tightens up. But there’s something about those first imperfect steps and early successes – those first months or years of figuring it out – that make the later victories so wonderful and sweet.

That’s what it’s about. It’s about the struggle, and celebrating our imperfections knowing that everyone else around us is equal to or greater than their own imperfections. Believe me, people don’t care that you’re imperfect. They care how your idea, how your solution can help improve their life, and how you can help them solve a problem. Because I promise you, you have a magic that other people think, “if only I had that.”

If you hide and wait until everything’s perfect, not only will you delay or never find your own success, you will be hurting other people and taking away from them the thing only you can provide. So don’t delay. 95% of success is just getting started, getting off your backside and onto your feet and, as imperfectly as will be true, walking forward into the darkness towards your destiny.

It’s beautiful. It’s imperfect. It’s wabi-sabi.

If you are looking for help in finding your success path schedule a 30 minute consultation with me. Simply schedule a time and date on my personal calendar. https://calendly.com/theunshackledowner