Resolved, To Ship
I have wanted to start this blog/website for many, many years. I have spent money on domains or web services only to have them sit idle in their small corner of the internet, with the words “Coming Soon” big and bold on the landing page. I might post one or two posts, but then either delete them or take them behind the curtain for no public consumption. In short, I have been living in a virtual waiting room.
You might know the place. It’s comfortable. It’s safe. In the Waiting Room, I have hundreds of blog posts written in my head. I have flawless business ideas, fitness plans that never fail, and creative projects that are nothing short of masterpieces.
The only problem? They don’t exist.
I haven't started because I’ve been waiting for the perfect time. I’ve been waiting for the stars to align, for my schedule to clear, for my writing voice to be polished to a mirror shine, and for the fear of being judged to evaporate. I told myself that excellence requires time. But if I’m being honest with myself, perfection was never about excellence. It was about hiding.
As I stand on the doorstep of 2026, I’m done hiding. I’m ready to start shipping.
What is "Shipping"?
If you’ve spent any time in the world of marketing or personal development, you’ve likely heard the name Seth Godin. He is a champion of the "linchpin," the person who is indispensable because they bring humanity and creativity to their work. But at the core of his philosophy is a single, visceral word: Shipping.
If you are like me, when you hear the word "ship," you may think of a parcel of mail or a big vessel floating on the water. In Godin’s context, shipping is the act of pushing your work out into the world where it can be seen, judged, and utilized.
Godin argues that the greatest enemy of creativity is the Lizard Brain; the ancient, amygdala-driven part of our mind that is obsessed with survival and terrified of shame. The Lizard Brain is the voice that whispers, "It’s not ready yet," or "What if they laugh at you?" Shipping is the act of thrashing the Lizard Brain. It is the intentional decision to release your work when it is good enough rather than perfect. According to Godin, if you haven’t shared it, you haven't done the work. Real work requires an audience. Real work requires the risk of failure.
My Personal War with Perfection
I have spent years polishing the stone until it disappeared. I would start a draft, look at a sentence, decide it wasn't profound enough, and delete the whole thing. Or, if I didn’t think my voice or content was on par with nationally-recognized people in the subject matter I was writing about, I would not bother to post. I equated my self-worth with the quality of my output, so if the output wasn't perfect, I wasn't perfect.
In 2026, my goal is no longer perfection. My goal is to be prolific.
I want to look back at the end of this year and see a trail of "shipped" projects – some of them will be messy, some might have typos, and some might not resonate with anyone at all. But they will be available for consumption, judgment, and use.
How You Can Start Shipping Too
If you’ve been sitting in the Waiting Room with me, I’m inviting you to walk out the door. You don’t need a better laptop, a better degree, or more inspiration. You need to ship.
Here is how we can start doing this together:
Set a Non-Negotiable Deadline: Shipping requires a due date that you treat like a legal summons. Don’t wait until it’s finished to decide when to publish. Decide the publishing date first, and then work until the clock runs out. When the timer hits zero, you hit send.
Embrace the B-Minus Work: Your published B-minus work is likely still better than unpublished A-plus work. Permit yourself to be average for a while. The goal is to build the habit of finishing, not to be the best.
Silence the Resistance by Going Small: You don’t have to ship a 500-page novel on day one. Ship a tweet. Ship a 200-word LinkedIn update. Ship a single photograph. Success is a snowball effect. Once you prove to your brain that shipping won't kill you, it becomes easier to ship bigger things.
Focus on the Who, Not the How Many: We often don't ship because we're afraid of the masses. Instead, think of one person whose insight, your art, or your service could help. Ship it for them. When you focus on being helpful rather than being impressive, the fear of imperfection fades.
Shipping 2026
The year 2026 represents a clean slate, but it is useless if I am too afraid to mark it up. The stoic philosopher Seneca is attributed to saying, “The one thing that all fools have in common is that they are always getting ready to start.”
I’m moving into this year with a new mantra for my online content: "Done is better than perfect." I am going to let my work be seen. I am going to let myself be corrected. I am going to contribute to the conversation rather than just eavesdrop from the sidelines.
Here is to a year of magnificent failures, messy first drafts, and the incredible growth that only comes when I finally dare to say, "Here, I made this."
It’s time to ship. Who’s with me?
