"First do it, then do it right, then do it better." Just start. The journey to success often begins with a single step, but that first step can be the hardest to take. It's easy to get caught up in the fear of failure or the desire for perfection, but I hope this quote I first shared in 2013 can be a reminder of the importance of simply getting started as we go into 2024. Just Start Somewhere "Start slow if you have to. Start small if you have to. Start privately if you have to. Just start." - James Clear Taking that first step doesn't require perfection or immediate mastery. The key is to overcome inertia and take action, as this action will lead to progress, learning, and (if you’re lucky and consistent) ultimately success. When you start, you allow yourself the opportunity to grow, adapt, and move forward. The Power of Starting Beginning a new project or habit often feels daunting. According to psychologists, we tend to overestimate the pain of starting and underestimate our ability to persist. However, studies show that "small starts" predict eventual success better than initial enthusiasm or early progress. This phenomenon is known as the fresh start effect - taking the first step energizes us and bolsters motivation. So focus on starting without putting pressure on perfection. Progress and course corrections will follow. First, Do It: Embrace the MVP Mindset Doing it = get the simplest MVP out. A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) represents the simplest version of a product or idea that allows you to test, gather feedback, and iterate. By embracing this mindset (just get something done - it's OK if rough, a prototype, a draft), you focus on progress over perfection, understanding that getting something out into the world is far more valuable than waiting for the perfect moment. Expand Your Comfort Zone Venturing outside one's comfort zone can elicit fears of failure. Leaning into discomfort not only builds confidence and skills, but research shows it makes us more receptive to learning. Recognize that fear is often the mind's way of urging us to grow. Don't let it stop you from progressing. Then, Do It Right: Refine and Correct Doing it right = fix correctness issues. Once you've taken that first step and put your MVP out into the world, it's time to refine and correct. This stage is about learning from feedback, identifying areas of improvement, and making adjustments accordingly. It's a chance to iterate on your idea, ensuring that it meets the needs of your audience or customers while aligning with your vision. Cultivate Curiosity and Resilience Meeting new challenges with curiosity and resilience makes venturing outside our comfort zone more sustainable and enjoyable. Cultivate curiosity about growth opportunities and your capacity to rise to them. Set mini-challenges to incrementally expand your horizons. When facing inevitable setbacks, avoid self-criticism and tap into resilience - the ability to recover, learn and continue progressing. Self-compassion, adaptability and maintaining perspective are key here. With consistent effort, you build confidence in your ability to start, stumble, learn and work toward mastery. Finally, Do It Better: Strive for Continuous Improvement "Doing it better = iterate towards an ideal end-state (e.g., make it fast)." The journey doesn't end with merely doing it right. The final step is to continuously improve, striving for excellence and growth. By iterating towards an ideal end-state, you demonstrate a commitment to progress, ensuring that your product, idea, or project remains relevant, innovative, and successful. Set New Goalposts As you improve, have a clear idea of when you are “done” or update your goalposts. Elite athletes turn small gains into competitive edges via the aggregation of marginal gains. Identify areas of potential improvement and set measurable stretch goals, from increasing efficiency to enhancing user delight. Overcoming the Greatest Barrier to Progress "The greatest barrier to progress is not lack of resources or talent, but fear of failure." Recognizing that fear of failure is the most significant obstacle in the pursuit of success allows you to confront it head-on. By acknowledging this fear, you can focus on taking that first step, knowing that once the ball starts rolling, it becomes much easier to keep it in motion. Remember that starting is more than half the battle. Don't wait until you feel ready, because the perfect moment may never come. The Bottom Line Rather than striving for perfect execution, embrace the power of starting - put forth an MVP, soft launch an initiative, or set a milestone. Progress begets motivation. By simply starting, you open the door to growth and innovation. The rest will follow. Embrace the power of starting and then iterating until you're happy.

Steve Silberman, the Cole Valley legend that everyone knew even if they'd not met, left us a pearl: "When I die, please don’t say... any of those comforting fables. Just use my own impermanence to wake up to your own.” rollingstone.com/music/music…

Meeting BTV and joining The Mint was trajectory-bending. They're the real deal. Pondering your own fintech startup? Apply now - the next cohort kicks off in Aug.

IMO most nonfic books could be pamphlets... more time, shorter letter, etc. Blinkist (blinkist.com) actually delivers: books condensed into 2-3 minute idea blurbs, read aloud or in text. Reader's Digest for the modern era. The make/break is quality, and they've got it.

I recently came across data on who we spend our time with over the course of our lives. The insights are simultaneously inspiring and depressing. Here are 6 graphs everyone needs to see:

Chicago, 1900's: a tunnel freight company figures out it can, in what turned out to be a visionary nod to geothermal energy, sell "tunnel air" to theaters and others: at 55°F, it's cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, and cheaper than coal en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicag…

On this last day of #911GTW, we’re excited to host representatives from @google who received a firsthand and behind-the-scenes look at the 911 Operation in the District. @911NENA911 #WeAnswerTheCall

... which is perhaps a good time to mention that, after an amazing 6.5 years, I've hung up my @Googleorg hoodie to join @Android Safety: we make sure your phone is there when you need it most. Really excited about all that's to come.

Small solace in our present world, but very proud of my new team. In almost exactly a week, we went idea to launch on rapid air raid alerts for @Android users across Ukraine. theverge.com/2022/3/10/22971…

Childhood baseball bestie taking on the world - go @yunpovi, go!

.@bmluse captures brilliantly the visceral feeling I have: more important stuff going on - but, because of the pandemic, a pivotal personal transition from young adult to middle age happened in isolation, lost in the fray.

Airplanes just keeping up with addictions du jour, as the non-seatbelt lights have almost entirely changed from "no smoking" to "electronics off".

More than 30,000 troops have died by suicide since 9/11. 40,000 veterans are unhoused on any given night. This Veteran’s Day, let’s not just thank those who have served. Let’s commit to building a country where our veterans have the support they need to thrive.

Happy 20th birthday to Windows XP. I think when I say FCKGW-RHQQ2-YXRKT-8TG6W-2B7Q8, we all know what's up.

This is one of the most impactful things I read when I first saw it at Google: “How orgs are like slime moulds” by the platform thinker that is @komorama komoroske.com/slime-mold/

Woke up, read @typesfast Tweet threads about the state of the global supply chain for an hour 🤔, and this is my takeaway 👇

Into Radioooo -- radiooooo.com/, definitively the most exciting streaming service out there -- but want to stream to Sonos? Airfoil will make it happen: rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/mac/

go login.gov, go! h/t @iamb

At the same time in 2020: (a) you could buy a pack of chips in India that came with 2GB of free wireless data, and (b) Canadian telecom operator Bell increased the price of their 20GB/mo data plan by $5/month. Discuss.

Well-deserved recognition for @johnrcallery and the stellar team at @TrevorProject. In service of LGBTQ young folx, they've used AI to unblock a major pinch point in scaling their crisis hotline: training human counselors. Read more below!