I am a recovering perfectionist.
For most of my life I spent way too much time trying to make things perfect. I wanted everything to look perfect. And I wanted the timing to be perfect.
For blog posts like this one, it would look like this:
Perfect wording.✔️
Perfect formatting.✔️
Perfect message.✔️
Perfect timing.✔️
I would wait until I had just the right amount of time to sit down and write. I wouldn’t post until everything looked perfect. And I wouldn’t post until it was the perfect time of day/week/month to post. End result – I rarely even started because whew! That was a lot to keep on top of!
You probably can imagine how it looked for the rest of my life because I’m guessing you might struggle with this too.
I don’t know exactly when it happened, but somewhere along the way I embraced the phrase, “Progress Over Perfection”.
I realized that I could no longer wait to get started.
If I waited until everything was ready (ie, perfect), I would never start.
The benefit of being a recovering perfectionist? I notice all the little ways people are procrastinating due to perfectionism. Because it used to be me. Perfectionism is sneaky and pervasive. You might not even realize that it is perfectionism that is keeping you from getting started.
👉🏻Not creating that video? Are you waiting for the right lighting and equipment? Perfectionism
👉🏻Not writing that post/paper/grant? Are you waiting for a great idea? Perfectionism
👉🏻Not scheduling that appointment/call/interview? Are you waiting until your schedule opens up with the best time? Perfectionism
👉🏻Not launching that business? Creating that offer? Making that next decision? You get the point.
⚠️Perfectionism is a mindset. We think things should be a certain way or that we don’t have all the right information or tools. We think we are not ready or that we aren’t good enough.
Is that really true?
Absolutely not!
Tell that voice in your head that things don’t have to be a certain way to get started. Tell it that you can start even if you don’t have all the information. Remind yourself that you will learn along the way even if you don’t feel ready. Tell yourself everyday that you are worth it, that you are good enough. Because that’s the truth.
Talk back to that voice in your head that is waiting for everything to be “just so”. And get started. Remember – Progress Over Perfection!
Want some support to see if perfectionism is getting in your way? I’d love to help! Reach out and schedule a free Discovery Session!
