So Ya Wanna Be Perfect? Stop it!
- July 16, 2012
- Posted by: Rochelle
- Category: Creativity + Inspiration
Ah, perfection.
That voice in your head that won’t let you release your new website until it is beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt perfect. That says maybe just one more round of revisions to that sales piece, that ground-breaking article, will do the trick.
Stop it!
Yes, your best work—like all great creative—needs air. It needs to breathe—it must be revisited more than once so you approach it with fresh eyes, fresh ears, fresh brain. Genius lives there.
But perfection is something else.
Perfection is the enemy.
It’s a death spiral for creativity.
It’s the opposite of special.
It’s a trap.
To lull you into being good, but never great.
To feel safe when you are anything but.
It’s time to stop.
Instead, dare to be imperfect.
Dare to release something that scares you.
Today.
What’s it gonna be?
Yours in imperfection.
7 Comments
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“Perfection is not a destination; it’s a never-ending process…
“…Enjoy!”
I agree – in many aspects of life perfection isn’t achievable and you are always going to be tweaking. Perfection is the enemy of the good. Start by being good or at least passable and keep improving. Like an old friend told me “My junk is beter than your nothing!”
As Jim Bouchard says – “Perfection is not a destination; it’s a never-ending process…”
Don’t let it stop you!
Jim and Stephen (no relation)–thank you for contributing 2 fabulous quotes! I’m going to add them to my collection 🙂
These days, less time exists to achieve perfection. At the same time more of what we do can be accessed on the net — reviewed by others. This puts a premium on well-thought out product. The key then becomes learning how to complete a project adequately and prevent oneself from lingering to fine-tune.
“Perfection” is God. We are not nor are our efforts. 🙂
HA!!! If I’d waited for perfect, no one would be getting the great stuff I have to give. And I would miss out on all of the great stuff they have to give me back!
“Ooops!” and apologies are tolerated much more than I’d ever imagined. Especially when I am consistently responsive and reliable for giving people what they REALLY want.
It’s only PRACTICE that makes perfect. And the practicing can look pretty messy.
(This reminds me of an email I sent out to an important group of very successful people – asking them BOLDLY to participate in a fun experiment I’d cooked up. I sweated over the details of the ask – how should I word this? How dare I ask? … I asked them to respond by July 15th — but I waited until JULY !6 to send it. OY!!! And guess what! Some people said they were interested ANYWAY! HA!)
If I waited to be perfect, I’d be NOWHERE!
Thanks Corey and William for adding to the conversation–“perfection” isn’t possible, is it?
“Perfect” story Irreverent Sales Girl! I’m glad to hear I’m not alone in the struggle 🙂