If you chase perfection every day in your life you will set yourself up for a lot of procrastination, doubt, and unhappiness. Done is better than perfect.
While holding yourself to a gold standard in everything you do in life is critical (in my eyes) perfect is a myth. Perfection leads to a lack of results and disappointment.
Find out ways to (actually) get what you want to be done without chasing perfection.
Perfection stops people dead in their tracks. People that want to do something perfect often a. Never get started or b. Are waiting for their product or service to be perfect before they launch - which leads to never actually launching it.
What is the standard you hold yourself up to in life? I’m talking about a standard that you do everything to. This could be making your bed, cleaning the dishes, keeping your house clean, the clothes you choose to wear, the people you associate with, the shows you watch, or the books you read.
You want to set your sights high on doing the best you can - but avoid perfection.
Having a certain standard for your way of life will help you to know when you can move on to the next thing or not.
Having a standard in life will help you to feel better about yourself and your life day today. People who do things half-assed get those same results back. What you put in is what you will get out of something.
This means if you put in your best effort possible you will get the best results you’ve yet to achieve. This could be true whether studying for a test, preparing yourself for an interview, or working out at the gym. You control the results you get every day.
How you do one thing is how you do everything.
This is a statement I truly believe deep down. If you can’t even make your bed or keep your office space clean how would you ever be able to manage your money, look after yourself or others?
If you do something do it right. Yes, some things can be done with less effort or brainpower than others. But, putting your all in everything you do will help you to create that good discipline in your life.
Don’t chase perfection but also don’t settle for average standards. Push yourself to push yourself - not anyone else. It’s not about being better than your neighbour or friends. It’s about becoming better than you were yesterday.
Perfection is scary. Nothing is ever ready if it were to be perfect.
Start before you’re ready to do something. The truth is no one is ever ready to try or start something new. There is no better time than right now. In fact, there is no other time than right now to take action.
If you want to write a book, go to the gym, donate money, donate your time, try a new sport or activity, join a class, go back to school, launch a business, start a side hustle, try a new hobby, or anything else you could possibly think of - do it.
Don’t wait for the stars to align and the perfect time and emotions to take place, because they won’t! If you wait and procrastinate you will be filled with regret.
One question I like asking myself before I want to start anything new is:
What’s the worst thing that could happen?
When you sit down with a pen and paper and figure this out it’s often a lot less bad than you initially think!
The next time you’re scared to take a jump and chase something ask yourself this question and write down (in detail) what you are afraid of. Nine times out of ten what we fear is often some madness we make up in our own minds. The odds are usually in our favour to take a step in a new direction.
This is something I can most definitely work on in my own life. Celebrate small wins even if they don’t seem so special.
Guess what happens when you chase the next thing after the next thing without stopping to look around? There is a constant hunger for more yet a feeling of dissatisfaction deep down the more you get.
When you achieve a small win - like going to the gym 15 times in a month - reward yourself with a new pair of gym shoes, or a nice meal out. If you do something or achieve one of your minor goals celebrate it.
Knowing where you came from is important to know how much you've changed. Without acknowledging this A to B change you wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate the transformation.
When you focus on delivering perfect results you will tend to make excuses as to why you can’t do it. If you turn your focus to taking that first step you will slowly get the results you seek.
Instead of making excuses as to why it won’t work, tell yourself why IT WILL work.
We often doubt ourselves and are our worst critics. Root for yourself. Why is it going to work? What advantages do you have to start a business right now? What have you done over the past several years that have prepared you for this moment?
When you look to why something WILL work you will make it work. If you focus on why it won’t work you will fail to take action altogether.
This is a tough one. Often, we get obsessed with what our friends, colleagues, family, and peers are doing. This is typical work water cooler gossip you are used to hearing and consuming.
If you can take away one thing from this post it’s this:
If you focus on yourself and your life you will 10 X your results.
I’m not saying this with the intention of being selfish, rather the intention of achieving greatness. Focus on you and what you do. No more worrying about someone else at the gym, how much money your friends have, or what someone else looks like.
Be you and focus on your own growth and journey. This is often a tough habit to crack, but you will see huge results for yourself in many areas if you can.
Thanks for spending some time here today!
If you want to start today and avoid perfectionism take our FREE 5-day goal setting course here!
Chris M Wilson
Chris M Wilson is a career coach, entrepreneur, blogger, author, creator, and doer. He is passionate about helping people leave the job they hate and jump into their dream careers!
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