Show Your Work!

These past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind both at home and at work. The work is still endless. Yet, I find myself here writing (historically, my least favorite class in school) to the internet. And I can't help but wonder to myself - how did I get to this point?

Comfort Zone

Usually, unless it was absolutely necessary for a task or assignment given to me, I stayed within my comfort zone. I would have ideas in my head of things I wanted to do in my personal life, but found myself paralyzed.

What if I look stupid?

What if I'm bad at it?

What if...

The excuses went on. I'd spin in circles like the loading screen wheel until the 'Program Not Responding' window popped up. Then, I'd think, "Huh, oh well" and continue with my comfortable life. Content, but not satisfied.

"Perfection is the enemy of progress." - Winston Churchill

Ultimately, what held me back was wanting perfection in everything that I did. To avoid potential embarassment, I could not afford to show anything less. But that changes today.

Pushed over the Edge

For years, I thought to myself: I want to create videos for Youtube. Queue loading screen wheel...

Of course, it never happened. I was stuck in a constant state of planning and preparation.

What finally pushed me over the edge was my job. There was need for standardized education and training. The content required video demonstration and I had to figure out how to convey the material to the entire department across different locations.

A couple days before the training materials were due, I recorded the necessary video clips. Then, sitting in the hot seat just hours before the materials were due, I opened iMovie and hoped for the best. A couple hours later, I produced my first  video.

It was a hit. The message was concise and clearly understood. Certainly, the editing was amateur and far from perfect, but it was something. It was progress.

Show Something

The feeling of accomplishment from creating my first video made me realize that I can be proud of progress, even if it isn't perfect.

It's ok to show my work, even if it isn't perfect.

So that's how I ended up here. I want to stop spinning in circles like the loading screen wheel. I want to pursue and accomplish more. I want to show something.

Cheers to my first step on this adventure. I hope you stick around for the journey.

P.S. While I would love to share my first video here, unfortunately, I cannot due to workplace policies.