At the beginning of any project, the opportunity for perfection exists.
There's still the chance that everything can go right.
There's still a glimmer of hope that it will be a straight line to the top.
The perfection is a shiny mirage that you can see, feel, and almost touch.
You can stare at every immaculate detail and every shiny edge.
Everything in its place.
Perfect.
And, the more time spent at the starting line, the longer the perfection lasts.
Because, the moment you move past the starting line, it begins to fade.
Reality sets in.
The instant we step forward, we lift the vail and reveal the work ahead.
The hard part begins.
The perfection slips away and mistakes slide into view.
The cycle of trial and error starts.
The beautiful, shiny image becomes marred by real life.
The first step destroys our perfect view.
Instead we see the hammering, polishing, molding, and reconfiguring of our work... and it's messy.
Ideas, fantasies, visualizations... they are all perfect in our minds.
It's tempting to linger at the starting line, to relish in the glorious perfection of it all.
Some folks spend a lot of time at the beginning, entranced by the glow.
It feels good to stand at that starting line.
It feels good to imagine perfection.
But, there's a cost.
Standing at the starting line isn't cheap, the minutes add up.
Actually bringing our ideas into existence requires that we dream up perfection and then immediately move beyond it.
Because, perfection only exists at the beginning.