Hi, my name is Whitney, and I am a recovering perfectionist.
For whatever reason, I grew up wanting everything to be perfect. I had to get good grades (and I was devastated if I didn’t), I had to “look” perfect (is that even a thing?), and I had to “act” perfect (I was so embarrassed whenever I messed something up).
I don’t know why this was the case, but it took me a long time to outgrow it. Shoot, in college, I called my mom in tears because I had failed an open book test in accounting…in my tax class. I can very vividly recall that phone call **face palm**, as I’m sure my mom can too [sorry, mom].
I still struggle with it occasionally. I want everyone to like me, I want to please everyone, and I work on things to the point of overdoing them (like social media posts, for instance). And I definitely struggle with analysis paralysis. I analyze (and over-analyze) things and end up doing nothing, because it isn’t good enough (for me).
But sometimes it’s about just pressing the button and doing the darn thing(s).
I’ve learned, through lots of trial and error, that moving forward, even if I don’t feel ready or if it isn’t “perfect,” is better than doing nothing at all.
Take this blog platform, for instance. We’ve had this website for maybe a year and a half now, and I added the blog platform fully intending to use it at least monthly, at first.
But I didn’t. I used every excuse to keep putting it off. I didn’t know how to use it. I didn’t know what to write. I didn’t want to have two blog platforms (I used to write my blog posts on my old website).
Until I stopped overthinking it. And just started doing it. I played around with it and figured it out (imagine that?!).
Because, again, sometimes it’s more about doing the darn thing instead of just thinking about doing them.
In order to move forward, you have to start doing the things that scare you or that you keep putting off. Progress is far better than perfection, I promise. Even if the progress means you make mistakes or mess things up. Because you learn from those mistakes and typically the process of whatever you’re doing improves each time.
What are you putting off because it isn’t “perfect?” What do you have drafted but don’t (or won’t) press the “publish” button on?
In everything you do, strive for progress, not perfection. Forward progress is always better than stalled nothingness.
Have a beautiful week. And do something this week that you’ve been putting off, to move yourself forward.
Whitney
