Perfectionism Kills Action

Perfectionism can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, perfectionism can help you have high standards and to expect the best from others. On the other hand, perfectionism can cause you unnecessary anxiety, and be paralyzing. It can become an excuse to avoid moving forward. It decides in advance that your results are never going to be good enough, therefore there’s no sense in starting, much less completing, your work.

It’s good to give the best effort, go the extra mile, and take pride in your performance. But when you feel as though you keep falling short, never seem to get things right, and never have enough time to do your best, the only result you get is an unpleasant feeling of being wrong, which can easily lead to paralysis.

Many people — yes, it could even be you — have big dreams for their lives, but they struggle to act on those dreams. They keep shoving them back in the desk drawer because their plans aren’t “perfect” yet.

I have news for you: Perfect doesn’t exist! There is always something that you can improve. If you wait until your big idea is perfect before you take action, you’ll never get started. 

The antidote? Take small, imperfect action.

That means:

• Don’t wait for the perfect circumstance.

• Don’t wait to feel ready.

• Prioritize progress over perfect procrastination.

• Lower expectations and redefine success.

• Celebrate tiny wins.

The most difficult part of taking action is the first step because that first step will move you into your discomfort zone. That’s why it’s so important! It’s your first move in getting your goals into motion.

Tips to help you take imperfect action

1. Don’t let fear of failure stop you from taking the first step. Believe that you CAN!

True, past experiences can make you reluctant. Maybe in school, when you made mistakes you were labeled as a failure.

Maybe your peers made fun of you for a wrong answer.

Maybe at work, you had a boss that would chew you out if you did something “wrong.”

Maybe your mother constantly criticized you for anything you tried, shaming you for not being perfect.

But you can’t let the fear of somebody' else’s judgment, or your own, hold you back. It’s your life, and you’re the only person who gets to live it. Tell the naysayers – including yourself– to take a hike!

2. Remember that progress is more important than perfection.

If you wait for everything to be perfect before you make your next move, you’ll be waiting your entire life. Nothing is ever perfect. Focus instead on making progress toward your goals. It’s much better to take imperfect action than to do nothing. Adjust your standards according to what’s needed. Not everything is a life-or-death situation. For example, if you are writing a memo for your organization, don’t keep working on it for 10 hours, trying to make it worthy of a Pulitzer prize. . . Check with a colleague or supervisor and you might find that it’s already good enough.

3. Learn to see failure as opportunity for growth.

I’m sure you have heard about Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors ever known, and his view about failure. When someone remarked to him that he must be tired of failing with the project he was working on at the moment, his answer was something like: I have not failed, I have found 99 ways that don’t work. Therefore, I”m closer to success.

That should be your attitude. A “failure” is an opportunity to learn from that mistake and to do better next time.

When you take action, you risk failure. Yet, taking action is a prerequisite to improving every aspect of your life, an opportunity for you to learn, develop, build your self-esteem and grow as a person. Therefore, Keep taking imperfect action and learning from it!

4. Connect to your own authentic vision and desires.

In my experience, people are most concerned about making a mistake when they are trying to conform to someone else’s standards, whether that’s their boss, their business partner, their spouse, a colleague, a client, or anybody else.

When you connect to your own dreams and desires, it’s easier to choose progress over perfection. After all, you are not competing with anybody else.

It’s easy to compare yourself to others. Just spend a couple of minutes on social media and those feelings of comparison are going to come up. Just accept it’s going to happen. But don’t let it turn into a big doubt: “Am I enough?”

No, you’re not broken, nor is there anything wrong with you. You ARE good enough and you have what it takes to fulfill your dreams.

Does it seem as if someone is going faster than you? They’re on a different path. Overnight success rarely happens. You are on your own path, and that’s good enough.

5. Create a daily practice of taking imperfect action.

Remember that taking action doesn’t mean waiting for the perfect circumstance. Or waiting to feel ready. It also doesn’t mean taking action once or twice.

You need to take imperfect action consistently in order to be able to see results.

It means consistently taking small steps towards making your big creative ideas happen + trusting yourself and the process enough to know that small steps will add up in the end.

It means consistently prioritizing progress over perfection!

P.S.

Take imperfect action! Start TODAY and keep going! It’s the only way to leave perfection paralysis behind and make progress.