I’m sure I’m the only one who has ever experienced this but I’m going to ask anyway. Do you ever find yourself stuck in the trap of perfectionism? You want to accomplish something, hell you’d like to just get started but you're waiting for the "perfect" moment or the perfect knowledge base to take action on your dreams?
I've been there countless times, paralyzed by the fear of not getting it "just right." The fear of what others might think or how I’ll be perceived. But here's the thing: there's no such thing as perfect action. The only way to make progress and achieve our goals is to embrace imperfect action.
When we take imperfect action, we give ourselves permission to be human, to make mistakes, and to learn from them. We stop letting the fear of failure hold us back and instead focus on the journey of growth and self-discovery. Imperfect action is about showing up, doing our best, and trusting that each step, no matter how small or flawed, is moving us closer to our dreams.
When I first started this newsletter/blog several years ago, it was so much emotional labor to create. There were the voices of “What if I can’t come up with an idea?” Or “Once I have a topic, what if I don’t have enough to say?” I thought once I start talking about a topic I need to cover every possible nuance, I need to speak to every variance my audience might come up with. Of course that is not true and never possible but that thought still stopped me in my tracks.
And of course there were fears of, “What if nobody finds what I have to say of value?” Or worse, “What if they look down on me or even ostracize or abandon me because they so dislike what I’m sharing?” Fears like that meant it was a long time from the idea of a newsletter to actually creating it because I thought it had to be perfect. It meant that the initial few years, I might average about one newsletter every 6 months.
If you wait for perfection, you might never start. Is there a place where that is currently true for you? I’ve certainly had lots of my own examples. But if you start now, even with an imperfect plan or an imperfect first attempt, you're already ahead of everyone who's still waiting on the sidelines. And as you continue taking imperfect action, you'll gain momentum, confidence, and valuable lessons that will guide you towards success.
Success, does not even have to mean you "succeed" or that whatever you were attempting went well. It might just mean you learned something or more importantly you became someone different than when you started. As a mentor of mine, Peter Sage says:
“The point of a goal is not to achieve the goal but to see who we get to become on the way to achieving it.”
With my newsletter, slowly through taking imperfect action, I got to where I am now, publishing a post each week. That has lead to my posts being published in various media. It has lead to invitations to be a guest on a number of podcasts and it has lead to clients. It also lead to me having more clarity around my own thought leadership. Not to mention the feeling of pride and accomplishment I get from putting my ideas out there and hearing from those that read my words about the positive impact it’s had on their lives.
Now it is so much easier to write because I have the trust in myself when I start that I can do it. Even if I don’t know exactly what I’m going to say when I start, which honestly I very rarely do. Rather than the constant worry that I won’t have enough topics, now I have more ideas than I could possibly bring to fruition. That in itself imbues a level of self confidence I at one time lacked. Simply knowing that feels good.
Because happiness lies not in achieving perfection, but in embracing the journey with all its ups and downs. When we let go of the need to be perfect, we open ourselves up to a world of possibilities and opportunities. And you know what? My newsletter is still not perfect and never will be.
Oh, certainly there are ones I feel proud of but each one has imperfection. And that is ok, because as humans we are all messy and imperfect. That is something I now choose to celebrate, rather than run from . I find joy in the process of growth and discovery and you can too. Of course if I’m honest, I do still run from imperfection at times. I’m not even perfect at being imperfect.
But I try and catch myself as early as possible and then resource myself to move forward. In fact, later this week, I’ll be completing the first episode of my new podcast “Permission To Be Your FULL Self” where we’ll explore topics like imperfection, self doubt, anxiety and overwhelm and how best to resource ourselves.
I hope you’ll join me on that journey. I’ll announce the official launch as soon as I know. I’m excited about what the first episode has in store for you and curious to discover what you will do with the permission you receive.
Where is a place in your life right now, that is just waiting for you to take imperfect action? What is the first step you can take on that journey? I’d love to hear from you!
“There’s no need to be perfect to inspire others. Let people get inspired by how you deal with your imperfections.” Anonymous
“You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging. Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together.” Brene Brown
“People call these things imperfections, but they’re not, that’s the good stuff. And then we get to choose who we let into our weird little worlds.” - Good Will Hunting