At EMI, we help teams slow down and Step Back to align purpose and perspective. When teams develop self-awareness and shared understanding, communication and performance naturally improve. In this post, we’re exploring a vital idea: Start Where You Stand.

The Myth of the Perfect Time

Once every year, we feel inspired to reset, transform, or start fresh. Yet when that moment arrives, we often delay—waiting for the “right time,” “right conditions,” or “right moment.”

As actor and writer Hugh Laurie puts it:

“No one is ever ready to do anything… there is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now.”

Napoleon Hill echoes this in Think and Grow Rich:

“Do not wait: the time will never be just right. Start where you stand and work with whatever tools you may have at your command.”

The idea of the “perfect time” is a myth. Waiting for perfection stifles progress. Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art,  calls this resistance– the self-doubt that prevents us from taking meaningful action.

Action vs. Patience: Balancing Growth and Decision Making

• In organizations, team innovation stalls when people wait for ideas to feel 90-100% perfect. Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, reminds us that “If you’re not embarrassed by your first version, you’ve launched too late.”
• In sports, paralysis by analysis hinders performance. Overthinking a play, a shot, or even a difficult conversation with a coach creates missed opportunities.

The key? Start where you stand. Failure doesn’t result from lack of success—it stems from inaction.

Start Where You Stand: The Benefits of Action

When you start where you stand, failure becomes a stepping stone for future growth. Taking imperfect action builds confidence. Resistance and fear lose their power.