Almost running a marathon is worthless.
Almost traveling the World actually means you haven’t left your couch in months.
Almost going on a diet means nothing, actually, it means you found a better reason not to go on the diet. Effectively worthless.
Almost starting a blog is useless too. I’ve talked to many individuals at various companies that say “yeah, we almost started a blog and Tweeting, but just couldn’t find the time.” You almost found a new and amazing way to communicate, but you convinced yourself that changing would be risky and your default answer is “we couldn’t find the time”.
Almost pursuing your passion is a recipe for disaster, you will always wonder “what if I had (insert childhood dream)???”.
Almost starting a company means you got scared and you will probably say, “I was forced to take this job, I needed the money.” And your entrepreneurial dream will go down the toilet along with that spark in the back of your head telling you relentlessly to start “the” company. That spark never goes away. Give in.
When you tell someone you ‘almost’ did something, what you’re really saying is “I found an excuse not to complete the endeavor I set out to.” Obviously there are lots of reasons not to follow through with something, but being someone who finishes things they start is a wonderfully underrated characteristic. Being able to stick to a plan until it is complete is a very valuable attribute in the business world.
Start to dread saying “I almost did (insert task you’d normally never take on)”. It’s a toxic phrase we all need to stop saying. Don’t take on tasks you can’t complete. Make it a personal rule of yours, never say you ‘almost’ completed anything.
As Yoda once said; “Do or no not, there is no try.”
