Start Small, but Start.

Four years ago, I read the book "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries. It was the first introduction to the start-up world and the launch of a new venture. I don't remember all the principles, but I took something that I still value to this day — start small (and imperfect) and improve along the way. The concept is simple: instead of waiting until the perfect, big launch, it is far better to enter the market fast, get feedback, and continue making improvements. The potential failure, or lesson learned, is far more valuable than to wait until the moment, one that can never arrive. Simply, start now.

In 1978, Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder, decided to fly to the Virgin Islands with his future wife, Joan. When the flight back to Puerto Rico was cancelled, Branson rented a plane and sold out $39 tickets, right there in the airport, by announcing the flight with a blackboard. This simple idea later became Virgin Airways. Start small.

The principle of starting small does not only serve the business world. In fact, I use it as a life-guiding principle. When starting a new habit, perhaps daily meditation or working-out, start small. But start. The rationale is simple: most people wait until for the stars to align to start.

• When my new sneakers arrive, I'll hit the gym;
• I will meditate once I sign up for the retreat;
• I will improve my relationships once I have more time.

The same happens with learning a skill. It's easy to fall into the trap of waiting until you have the perfect tools — the instrument, the software, the book, the teacher, or the weekend. And what happens? You never start.

I would argue that you should start small 99% of the times, get feedback, learn, and iterate. The things I did not learn or improve upon were due to not starting. And never by starting too early.

I often ask myself, either if I'm starting a simple habit or an ambitious project, is the following: what is the smallest thing I can do to start today? Notice the focus is on starting, and not starting big. That comes later.

There is no quick and infallible formula to make a million, become an expert at a skill, or win a bodybuilding competition. But there is one common step — starting. With more or less luck, starting is a requirement to achieve any goal you set, be it in a business setting or at a personal level.

Josh Waitzkin was a recognized prodigy in chess, giving life to the movie “Searching for Bobby Fisher”. When starting to learn chess, Josh didn't start by mastering all the pieces simultaneously. Instead, he started small by focusing only on two at a time, e.g. a king and a pawn versus a king. Josh won the U.S. Junior Chess championship in 1993 and 1994. And he only did it, because he started.

What will be your first small step?