Main Wheel

Here I was. After, some research and reflection, I decided to start a newsletter. I had the idea in mind for months, but I was skeptical. I doubted I would be able to do it.

So, I had to come up with a name. Thankfully, I did. The process was okay at that point. Until it came to crafting a visual identity for my newsletter’s branding. It was a moment of great procrastination.

Even after I chose to start a newsletter and was in the process, the “don’t-have” thoughts remained as obstacles.

I sketch a potential logo for the newsletter. As I don’t have the Adobe suite, it was quite difficult for me to turn it into an SVG file. Fortunately for me, a fellow tried to help me with that. But the results were not what I hoped for. Hence, I drew another sketch. One thing I forgot the fellow also had work to do on her end. So, I waited. I waited. And I waited.

Until I realized what I was doing wrong. I let my resources define my progress. I could not make two steps forward as I had to think of the ways I could do things better, ways that are unavailable to me.

And that’s the major excuse in the conflict of resources.

“I can do this better with this tool,”

“I could make it better with more money,”

Or “I would have better results with more people on the team,” and the list goes on.

These thoughts are excuses to remain in the same spot. Excuses that work well against our conscience. When the guilt of procrastination comes, you can easily shove it off by saying, “Well, I haven’t done this cause I don’t have that.”

The surprising truth, or not-so-surprising, is you can make progress with what you have, the same resources you neglect.

And that’s what happened. To get out of the ongoing procrastination, I came up with an idea in the most unusual and unexpected place. I drafted a logo idea on WordPad, one I could complete with the tools I have.

I wrote the name of the newsletter, tried some alterations, and changed fonts until I found the ones. The chosen font was, AvantGarde Bk BT. Unfortunately, licensing restrictions prevented me from using it.

Therefore, I went to my old good friend, Google Fonts, and I searched for free alternatives. Poppins was the new chosen one. And it all happened in around 4 hours.

More progress was made in these 4 hours than in past weeks. It was the moment I had the realization of how much I held myself back.

Great tools can help, they definitely can. More resources to access that software, buy that gear, or hire that freelancer wouldn’t hurt. Yet, it’s never the defining factor in your ability to create and progress.

We often waste so much time waiting around to make something when the action to take is just to make what you can make. You are to deal with what you have because the hardest way to make something is to wait until the perfect time to do it.

There will always be better software, plugins, and gears. There will always be better ways to do it, better and more expensive ways. The chase of these things is never-ending.

By searching for more tools and resources or even thinking about them, you spend less time creating and your focus is on them and no longer on creating.

You know that thing you said you’ll get done before the end of the week, month, or year? Yes, that task. You can do it with what you have. And you’ll be happy you did so.

The results might not be the greatest, but the growth will surely be great. At the end of the day, the aim is excellence, not perfection.

The ultimate goal is not to be stagnant but to move forward.

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