This belief that everything in your business has to be perfect.
This thing you do where you practically kill yourself to make something ‘just right’ and STILL feel like it’s not good enough.
This overwhelming burden you carry that keeps you from ever growing your business, stepping up your game, and bringing your brilliance to the world in a new way.
The constant chatter of voices in your head.
“I’m not ready yet.”
“I don’t know enough yet.”
“I don’t have this all figured out yet.”
“I don’t have the right (logo, website, systems, team, program, skill set) yet…”
“It’s not perfect yet…”
No, it’s not. Nor is it ever going to be. Because perfection is highly overrated. Exhausting even. And so not worth it.
In fact, the longer you worry about being perfect, the longer you hold yourself back from the awesome success that I know is waiting for you.
Success isn’t something people figure out in their garage over the weekend, launch on Monday and take to the bank on Friday. Success is something that comes in small bits and pieces, as you try something, tweak it, try it again, tweak it, try it again.
Success comes from being a doggone determined, practicing (and proud of it) imperfectionist.
I’ve been working on this for a long time, so I have some experience here. :)
Here’s how you can kick the crazy to the curb, and welcome the messy, creative process of entrepreneurial success into your life.
1. ENJOY (the ironies.)
I’m starting here because, honestly, sometimes I feel like this is the single most important tool in the entrepreneur’s tool box: a sense of humor.
You’re going to make mistakes. Some things are going to go wrong. No matter how hard you try, how carefully you prepare, how much homework you do – it will happen.
And yes, sometimes it will be embarrassing. Sometimes it will be aggravating. But – if you’ll allow it – often it will be Just. Plain. Funny.
If you can laugh at yourself, with grace and good humor, your business will bounce right back. And so will you.
2. ENCOURAGE (yourself!)
Listen.
Enough with the criticism already! Are you not giving it all you’ve got? Are you not doing the best you can with what you know so far?
Of course you are.
You are a student. And you are your first line of defense. Encourage yourself in every way you possibly can. Guard your fragile confidence with everything you’ve got.
If you need help, reach out to me privately and I’ll walk you through how to do that.
3. ENGAGE (with the learning.)
In every mistake there is a lesson. In every obstacle, an opportunity.
Celebrate what you just figured out that didn’t work, and look forward to what you’ll do differently next time. This is exactly what my clients do the entire time we work together, and it’s why they make so much progress.
Learn to love the tweak.
4. APPRECIATE (the progress.)
If you’re ready to stop beating yourself up – and you’d better be – I want you to pivot to a new perspective.
Instead of making a long list in your head of all the ways you screw up, I want you to make a list ON PAPER of all the things you do right.
Entrepreneurs are always focused on the horizon. So much so, in fact, that we rarely realize how far we’ve already come. And yet, even small steps, when properly celebrated, lead to really Big Things.
So – make a list. Start each sentence with “I really like….” or “I appreciate…” Find your way to feeling good about what you’ve done, what you’ve learned, and what you’ll do next.
And here’s your homework.
Take one gloriously imperfect step forward in your business this week, and tell me about it here. I don’t care what it is. I don’t even care how it goes.
You don’t have to, of course. You could choose to wait a little longer. And a little longer. And a little longer after that.
Or you could choose to move, and encourage others by sharing your perfectly imperfect progress in the comments below.
What imperfect action can we celebrate with you this week?
Photo Credit: BK on Flickr