The Goal is Not Perfection
How often do you want to do something, but don’t? It’s a dream you’ll get to one day. It’s a recurring New Year’s resolution. But, every time you convince yourself it’s unrealistic or you aren’t smart/rich/pretty/talented enough.
This thought-pattern has a name: perfectionism. It's an insidious disease. Sadly, I know it well.
English wasn’t my best subject in school, but I enjoyed it. I like reading, words, stories, and ideas. But writing scares me. I've had real problems feeling confident enough to write. Worse, a teacher in school teased me about it.
In 10th grade, my English teacher read out loud anonymous examples of bad writing. When he read out a sentence from my latest assignment, the entire class laughed. It was mean. I blushed a bright red.
The memory still stings.
Now since I run an accounting firm, it’s important to share my knowledge.
Writing helps my clients. It's a great way to create a body of resources to serve many. Here is where my perfectionism pops up. It manifests as procrastination.
Perfectionism is so common you may not realize if you have it. In case you are unsure, there are a few ways to tell.
You may be a perfectionist if you:
Frequently tweak other people’s work.
Think negatively about your performance.
Keep items on your to-do list that have been there forever and would change your life, but haven't gotten around it.
Feel like you aren't ready and must learn more.
Compare yourself to others constantly.
Procrastinate often.
If you can relate to any of those statements, do not despair. You can overcome it! The way to beat perfectionism is to accept your current state and get to work.
Here are specific ways to overcome perfectionism:
Make a checklist. For example, I use one when creating blog posts.
Set mini-rewards for yourself. These will lead to mini-milestones, aka progress!
Use deadlines as motivation, whether they are set by clients or yourself.
Practice the 80/20 rule. If it's 80% done, it's done. In my experience, everything else is personal preference or trivial.
Place positive reinforcement around you. Like a motivational quote on a post-it note on your desk or as your screensavers.
Laugh and be compassionate to yourself. Try to have some fun while pushing your boundaries. You can't get better if you don't practice.
Find an accountability buddy.
Name it. Acknowledge that you are resisting action because you don’t feel “perfect.”
I challenge you to start working toward your goals. Your results don't have to be perfect. Make progress and enjoy the process. Be brave. While perfectionism is debilitating, it’s not a life sentence.
I'll go back and read some of my first blogs from time to time. When I wrote them, I remember feeling like I was rambling. I worried they weren't clear or engaging. I beat myself up. Perfectionist tendencies, remember?
Over time I’ve grown better, but it took lots of attempts and commitment to find tools that work for me.
Now for my work, I like to write. Communication is a not skill often associated with accountants. We’re generally bookish and straightforward. For me, it’s also a fun challenge to explain a technical concept simply.
When I read my old blogs, I like what I wrote. They won’t win any awards, but I'm glad I created and shared them.
Try it yourself. Look back at what once was hard for you to do. I guarantee you'll have a similar experience. You'll feel like you made something pretty good (or at least not bad). Your insecurity lied to you, but you were brave. You'll be proud you didn’t hold back.