Which matters, Being Early or Being Perfect?

There is a form of attraction that comes with being perfect, more like having all ramifications of your life figured out, and everything is working out in your favour. This is one of the many reasons why people always wait for things to be perfect before they take action or do anything. Now my head is puzzled between which is more important, being perfect or being early?

Being early, you get to be one of the people to get the first share of the pie of the activity that you have going on. At least you are given the opportunity to try over and over if you fail and try again to see what works for you. While in the world of finance, it is not about perfection anymore, but about timing. Those who are early to the game usually stand a better chance of getting better opportunities compared to those who wait for everything to be perfect. A good example would be Bitcoin. Imagine those who got in early compared to those who waited until it was certain that it was a perfect investment. In most areas of life, timing and perfection have been paired match to match for people to pick which one it would be.

This is not to say making sure things are perfect or almost is a bad thing, but at the same time, you need to understand the dynamics that come with starting early, no matter how small it may be. Another easy illustration will be wanting to start a business. I think this is one of the best examples that explains the comparison between being early and being perfect. When you want to start a business, you are stuck between having everything set, starting from how small it may be, down to how to make a profit. Do not get it complicated in the sense that starting off small is not great. Nothing ever comes off easily, especially when starting, no matter what it may be, a business or something else, so perfection is what we are left with to deal with. Do not let this need for perfection consume you into not taking any form of action at all. This is the toughest part of all: take the action, and this is where coming in early matters. Those who get to start early come to understand that it's all about the action they have taken and how quickly they did so before others got involved.

Another good thing about being early is the adaptability that comes with it. You get the opportunity to try out a lot of things to know what sticks because you have time as a luxury since you came in early. If it is the business, you get to try one or two things in the field of business you find yourself in, to see what customers love and what makes the most profit, before you get competition. Most important is the less competition where you know you are the early bird in the business. You do not have to figure out a million things before you start, but all you have to do is figure out a few and take action on them.

It would be nice to know what your thoughts are. Would you prefer to be early or would you prefer to be perfect? I have chosen to be early. What is yours?

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_{I am Hive account@samostically, a chess player and writer. I love to share the experience I have gained from different battles over the 64 squares and the knowledgeable insights from books I have read. But most importantly, I am a Midnight Owl and I founded the community Midnight Letters.}

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Thanks For Reading!

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I think being early is the real advantage. You mentioned how perfect can attract but it’s the first mover who shapes the market. Waiting for everything to align might mean missing the window, like you said, being early gets you the first share of something new. Balance matters, but progress often comes from action over perfection.

It’s not about choosing between being early or being perfect. To me, it’s about knowing when each one matters.

Take what you already mentioned:

In things like business, investing, or trends, being early wins because timing creates opportunity. Your Bitcoin example is perfect, those who moved early benefited not because things were perfect, but because they acted before everyone else. But in other areas like surgery, engineering, academic work, or even certain life decisions, being perfect enough in these situation matters more than being early. Acting too soon there can have serious consequences.

So instead of asking “Which is better?”, a better way to frame it is, What kind of situation am I in? One that rewards speed or one that demands precision?

Hmmm nice! Know the situation; act fast or slow based on risk. Noted.

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i simply advise people start early but aim for perfection.
.. you don't learn to drive in a parked car, same thing with bicycle, to gain balance you kust be in motion and thats exactly how life is, just get going and figure it out later,.. waiting for a perfect time is an illusion of time that has kept many rooted and stagnated in life

Concuerdo contigo, Hive account@samostically. La perfección es a menudo una forma de parálisis. En el mundo de los negocios y en Hive, la 'ventaja del primer movimiento' es real. Llegar temprano te da el lujo de cometer errores y corregirlos cuando la competencia aún no ha llegado. Como dices, la adaptabilidad es el premio por ser madrugador. Gran post

I agree with you, Hive account@samostically. Perfection is often a form of paralysis. In the business world and on Hive, the 'first-mover advantage' is real. Being early gives you the luxury of making mistakes and fixing them when the competition hasn't even arrived. As you say, adaptability is the reward for being an early bird. Great post

As an early adopter, I find that by the time the rest of the world catches up I've moved on. Now that the fringe tech or tool that I've been using and raving about for years has become mainstream, I am now onto the next fringe thing.

The challenge with that is that I often miss the opportunity for financial benefit. Because in the early days when I am one of the few testing out and figuring out how to use a new tool/tech, no one is interested and there is no market for it. Then when mainstream is ready for it, my attention has moved on.

Nice. So we have to Stay long enough to monetize before chasing the next innovation....

Been a while, I hope all is well with you?