impeding progress

max wax, the blog of max hsu (superchick fame) has a great post on following your dream - and i need this kick in the pants today:

As you well know if you're a regular here, I'm a big fan of people chasing their dreams. Here's the max formula yet again:

1. dream,
2. research/plan,
3. try,
4. fail,
5. repeat.

after lunch today with a friend who's road managing a backstreet boy, I have come to this conclusion:

Sometimes people get stuck in the planning stage. I believe in planning. I love research. I think before you embark on any endeavor you should ask someone who's done it to tell you all about it. If you don't know any astronauts/ballerinas/pro bass fishermen you should read a book about it. But here's where it goes wrong. If after 60 days you're spending more time planning than doing, you're probably letting fear keep you in the planning stage. If you've pretty much only done planning then you're most likely stuck. Planning feels like progress. But it can actually impede progress if you never get past the planning stage.

So quit waiting for the weekend to work on your book. Quit building the perfect creative space. Quit reading books about creativity. Quit reading this blog. Hold your nose and jump in. Get your feet wet. Make beginner art. Be bad at something. Get your bum in the chair and create/practice/snowboard or whatever it is you wanted to do.

thanks max, i needed that!