Done is better than perfect

Natchez, Mississippi.

One of my favorite things to do is tour empty buildings and empty lots, because a town’s empty buildings aren’t a symptom of failure. They’re an inventory of possibility. On an event trip, we toured empty lots in residential neighborhoods and learned about the African American history in Natchez. The organizer, Joe Smith, sent me pictures of some of the lots, and I used AI to add things like parks, artwork, new fences, paint to buildings, places to sit, and more. Now people could see the possibilities in their own neighborhoods.

Locals came on that ride, but more folks from nearby communities attended. They wanted to know more about Natchez and its history, and how they could bring this kind of tour to their town.

After the ride around, we shared a meal and heard about everyone’s idea they wanted to try. People were more relaxed after eating. Folks happily discussed each other’s ideas and gave suggestions on small steps they could try.

That’s the whole game with empty buildings and empty lots: stop seeing a problem, start seeing a canvas.

 Natchez building downtown before and after, as imagined with flowers, seating area and nice paint.
Photo by Joe Smith, AI additions by Deb Brown.

“My philosophy is that done is better than perfect. If you change just 1% of something every day, by the end of the year, you see a 365% change. Just get started, and once you do, God, the ancestors, the angels, and the entire universe will rise to support you. The haters rise, too, but haters are just proof that God is using you. Just get started!” Joe Smith, President of Black Natchez, said.

The Lesson:

Just start.