Too early > Too late
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Jeremy C. Wilson is a Northwestern JD-MBA in the class of 2012. Through his blog, he shares information on business school, law school, admissions, careers, and leadership. |
Doing something too early is almost always better than doing it too late. Likewise, doing something too late is usually the best way to miss out on something great. Think about it.
We all wish we could do things at exactly the perfect time. Launch a new business right when the world needs your product. Get a job at a new company one year before it went public. Start a movement online when everyone was paying attention. Getting in touch with someone the moment they were thinking about you too.
But I’ve seen it time and time again, where just the opposite happens. People wait, and then they look back with regret because they waited too long. A lawyer waited for the perfect time to respond to a client and the client was not happy it took so long. An entrepreneur sat around on their idea and someone else came up with it first. Someone wanted to inquire about a job, but someone else got hired before you.
I hear people say this all the time, “I am not ready. I’m not sure about this. Or the timing isn’t perfect yet.” All valid points … but all sure fire ways to be too late and miss out.
Being early has it’s price too. Sometimes you lose a little time. Sometimes there is more uncertainty. And usually the cost is higher to make it happen. But that’s okay if you are on to something big. Because the value is higher too when it all works out.
In short, there’s a small price to pay for being too early, but there can be a HUGE price to pay for being too late.
So what are you waiting for? Go.
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One of my favorite quotes:
“A good plan today is better than the perfect plan tomorrow.” - George Patton
