We expect so much from ourselves. We expect ourselves to be perfect and to get everything right the first time… and every time. But really, “perfect” is a straight jacket that doesn’t allow us to live our best lives.
There’s something about our minds and egos that just likes things to be neat and tidy and fit into little boxes. So we try to make each event fit our expectation: we want a beginning, a middle and an end just like a Hollywood movie that wraps up perfectly with a bow.
The fact is, that’s not how life works.
Life Goes On Beyond “Perfect”
When we’re creating something in our business, like a program, we often get caught up in thinking that this one thing is the thing that’s going to “make us” or “break us”.
But the truth is that the program isn’t the end. Getting the marketing copy written or finishing the 6 weeks successfully isn’t the end, either. It’s not like there’s one singular point we get to and then it’s just “the end.”
In a way, there are endings, but they are also beginnings and middles at the same time.
There will be another program. There will be more marketing materials and there will be another networking event.
While there are things about it that would feel good if we could just say, “Okay, I’m done with that!” the great news is that there’s always room for growth and expansion and to try things again.
This simple idea that there is no ending tied with a pink bow, releases us from feeling like we have to get everything “perfect.” Perfect is a straight jacket – it doesn’t allow us to make mistakes or experiment or fall down.
That’s how we stay energized. Maybe you did a launch and it didn’t go as well as you wanted: that’s okay. Review what happened, learn what you can from it.
Most importantly, realize that it’s the middle and get ready for the next one. Know that it doesn’t have to be perfect because it’s not the end.
And next time, you can do it without the pressure of thinking, “This is my one shot – it has to be perfect” because it’s not, and you don’t have to live in a straight jacket.
Done is Better than Good
Bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert talks about her mother’s saying that “Done is better than good.” And Liz should know. In her most recent book, Big Magic, she talks about the imperfections in her early works. But they’re done and being enjoyed by tens of millions of people!
In the first Shift Into Action group call last night, what we came to is that fun and done wins. When you’re having fun, you’re in positive energy flow. People are attracted to that energy. You’re also getting things done – and that creates momentum!
There’s a reason people talk about being “paralyzed by perfection”. Perfection is a momentum killer. It’s one of the all-time best ever brakes. Want to stop yourself mid-step? Try to be perfect with something.
Tweet: Perfection is a momentum killer.
I was at a workshop on speaking from the stage this summer. When the leaders thought someone looked too “perfect”, they made them get messier. Perfect is boring. People don’t relate to perfect. When you as a leader appear perfect, the people in your tribe feel pressure to be perfect themselves.
Think about the last article you read that was “going viral”. It wasn’t because the author was perfect, was it? It was because she or he was being real.
Are you ready to step out of the “perfect” mindset and shift into a more powerful mode of operation? Click HERE to receive a complimentary guide to taking the first steps to powerfully acknowledging your life as a journey, not as a task that must be done perfectly.
