Is Your Focus on Being Perfect?
Most of the entrepreneurs I know and work with don’t have a shortage of ideas of things they want to accomplish in their business. BUT sometimes they get really stuck. They’ve got that great idea, but for various reasons they don’t act on that idea and then it stays just that, a great idea with no implementation.
When you don’t execute your great ideas a couple of things happen…
First, you don’t help the people that could benefit from what you’ve got to offer, then you don’t get paid for all that you’re worth and finally you’re left feeling frustrated because deep down you know the difference you could make if you brought that idea to fruition.
From my experience with friends, colleagues and clients there are a few reasons—or maybe even excuses—why we don’t get done what we want to get done. This week I’ll be sharing some of these issues to provide you with some food for thought and ideas for taking action.
Reason #1 Why you don’t get things done: “You want it to be perfect.”
I’ll start with the one that plagues me the most—the quest for perfection. Many entrepreneurs, particularly women, are so focused on being perfect that they think if they can’t do it perfectly, they just won’t do it at all.
As a recovering perfectionist, my quest for perfection used to really keep me from moving forward. It was a huge excuse to procrastinate and stay small. Fortunately with lots of work on my personal growth, awareness and a just “do it” attitude, I’ve learned to push through my desire for every ‘I” to be dotted. I now know that a website with a typo, and imperfect evolving copy, is far better than no website at all.
If you’re like me and can honestly acknowledge how much your desire for perfection is holding you back, that may be just the motivation you need to just move forward and take action.
Truth is – there’s really no such thing as perfect! So if you’re struggling to make it “just perfect” you’re directing your energy into something that’s impossible to achieve, and essentially a waste of your time. By seeking the all-elusive goal of perfection, it’s really just an avoidance method and an opportunity to keep from moving.
What I’ve learned, that I’m committed to teaching both my tween daughter (who inherited my perfection gene) and those in my world, is that it serves us much better to take consistent imperfect action as we work towards our objectives.
If you keep moving forward, you will get clarity along the way. If you focus on the minutiae of the details being perfect, you will stop and waste precious time.
I truly believe the satisfaction of getting it done (by letting go of your desire to be perfect) and getting your brilliance out into the world makes it worth the effort. You’ll free up your energy to tackle your big ideas and really get some momentum building in your business.
I gained some very valuable insights while leading a recent program that was really strong but certainly not perfect. In the spirit of taking what is good and making it even better, I will be re-launching it this summer. Stay tuned for more details at the beginning of next week.
Tags: excuse to procrastinate, get it done tips, imperfect action, perfectionist, quest for perfection
