“At its root, perfectionism isn’t really about a deep love of being meticulous. It’s about fear. Fear of making a mistake. Fear of disappointing others. Fear of failure. Fear of success.
– MICHAEL LAW
So many business owners struggle with perfectionism. Many of us are not even aware of it. Perfectionism does not show up in all areas of our life, there are parts where we struggle with it and others where we don’t. That’s why it’s often something we are not conscious of. You can have a very messy house and still be a perfectionist. Your car can be constantly dirty but you still might be a perfectionist.
What are the signals you can look for? How does perfectionism show up in business?
Are you trying to figure out your business name forever? Do you tell yourself that you need a studio space or office before you can start your business? You also feel you need a website, logo, and business cards before you can start enrolling your first clients? Do you have the feeling that you need another course to add to your credentials before you can launch your workshop? Are you rereading your posts a thousand times and then you still don’t post them? Do you overthink and doubt your decisions constantly? Are you constantly waiting for better conditions (like more time, more money)?
Let’s be honest with ourselves. Whatever we do is never ever going to be perfect. We are humans. What we produce will have flaws, it will have mistakes, typos, inconsistencies, contradictions. Isn’t that wonderful? Because it will make things also relatable, authentic, and interesting. Have you ever thought about that?
If we are suffering from perfectionism, our business will suffer too, because it will keep us and our business small. It’s going to keep us stuck, and ultimately it will drive us crazy, as we’ll never have the feeling of good enough, and therefore, we will hardly finish what we set out to do. On top of that, most perfectionists are caught in an endless comparison trap.
Perfectionism completely obscures our judgment about our work. There’s a thin line between trying to strive for excellence and very often it’s difficult to decipher if we are passing this line. But if we don’t move forward, hold on to things, postpone our deadlines, or need way more time for our projects than our business can afford, then we’ve crossed this line. Also, anytime we catch ourselves saying: “I just need (…) before I (…)” be aware that your perfectionism might have kicked in.
When we are caught in perfectionism, we are focusing too much on ourselves, on our fears of not being good enough, and our fears of making mistakes. Instead of circling around trying to perfect things forever, we could already have set out to help people with our service or product.
Maybe whatever you are trying to do is not the way you imagined it to be, but ask yourself the following questions whenever you are stuck in the perfectionism loop: How would it feel to settle for good enough? Can I help people with it the way it is right now? When your answer is yes: release it, NOW! Don’t let perfectionism stop you.
