This discourse is about architecture, so it may seem strange to dwell on the value of doing nothing in these earliest posts. I believe, however, that there is good reason. Architecture is an act of creation, differing from many others in that it typically is expensive, used by others and lasts for a long time.
The act of creation is fun, and in many mediums it also produces artifacts that are whimsical and fleeting. But architecture typically demands more. The process is almost always costly, often the largest expense a client will ever face. The final product is used and inhabited not only by those intended but by many others unforeseen. The object created also almost always has some form of public component, even if just the façade. Finally, in most cases the intent is for the object to last for some substantial period of time, perhaps even generations.
If you accept these assumptions, then it follows that architecture is not something to be taken lightly but a sober endeavor. My first reaction on a project is often one of fear -- what am I about to do, how am I going to impact those people that are entrusting me with such an important task? It is exciting too, to be sure. To build, and to build well, is what all architects wish to do. But amongst even the greatest of architects, how many of their projects are great? How many truly stand the test of time?
The key guideline, the overriding principle, should be to do something better than what was before. The new thing, the intervention, must be an improvement.
If it is not, don't do it. If you are unsure, think some more. If you are making too many compromises, wait. Gather some more funds, get some advice, do it better later. But don't do it, not yet.
I remembering hearing once, from where I can't recall, that the most sustainable building is one that is never built. So why not consider doing nothing first? It is possible that doing nothing is better than doing something, at least at any one point in time. Maybe the right time is later, maybe it is never. Maybe you aren't the right person. Ego and ambition, the desire to create, even something as mundane as the need to bring in some money -- all these motivations should be interrogated because they really are not sufficient. Doing nothing is the first thing you should think of.