Perfectionism is paralyzing – it often prevents us from not only moving forward, but even from just learning from our mistakes. No matter how hard you try, you will NEVER be able to do things perfectly, which then brings us to this very important question…would you really want to? Not only would that be EXHAUSTING, but it could easily make you into the kind of person that would find it difficult to forgive others. If you ALREADY find it difficult to forgive others (OR yourself, for that matter), then this episode is for you. And since I am a huge fan of coming up with an acronym to make our tips easier to remember…
So Let’s Get to It~
Let’s Start with a NEW definition of “PERFECT”
· Plan B – Always have a Plan B because good planning is always part of the process. Another way to think of this is as a safety net – in other words, since we can’t predict the outcome, the best you CAN do is to come up with a variety of ways to achieve the same goal. Often times top entrepreneurs have said that having a Plan B gave them some creative ways to accomplish their goals in ways they could never have predicted.
· Endure it – we have all been through it, right? Sometimes, you just have to ride it out. Endurance is an important predictor of success – it’s that ability to see things through, and not give up the moment things get tough. It’s that “grit” that I have talked about in previous episodes. In fact, I believe in grit/endurance so much that I devoted an entire episode on the subject called “Uncover Your Grit and Become Unstoppable,” so be sure to check that out, but in a nutshell, it’s that ability to overcome, and plow ahead, no matter what. There is so much great literature out there on endurance/grit and its connection to achievement, so check it out or reach out to me for some of my favorite resources.
· Realize the Opportunity- you may have heard it said… “when you change the way you look at things, the things around you change.” Use that same philosophy when you are trying to combat perfectionism. See it instead as a rare opportunity, instead of seeing your struggles as some sort of failure. Some of the best inventors have said that “mistakes” were part of the process. It wasn’t a failure – if anything, it showed them the way NOT to do it.
· Forgive Yourself – we are often harder on ourselves than we would be on ANY one else. Why is that? Many times we can be more sympathetic, more understanding and definitely more forgiving of others. If you want to truly tap into your personal power, then you need to unchain yourself from this burden.
· Extend an apology, if necessary. There is no shame in your game…apologize if you need to and MOVE on. Remember, there are lessons along the way, but you have to be open to them, or they will pass you by.
· Correct it – if a correction of some type is necessary, then go for it, but just don’t get stuck in that place. It’s OK to tweak here and there, but if you find yourself stuck in a loop, your perfectionism tendencies can keep you from finishing the task.
· Try, try again – they say that “practice makes perfect,” but again, that is NOT what we are going for here. Remember, there is a BIG difference between being prepared vs. trying to wing it, so you have to remind yourself that “you’ve got this.” If you don’t, you can psych yourself out, which only starts the cycle all over again. And remember that there is a LOT of power in action – it sparks momentum. It’s like a big boulder on top of that hill – that hardest part is pushing the boulder, but once you DO, and that boulder starts rolling downhill, there is no stopping it, and NOTHING is going to stand in its way. So instead of getting stuck in that “Paralysis by Analysis,” get out of your OWN way, and like the title of today’s episode, Unchain Yourself from Perfectionism and GET IT DONE already!