Kathy Hendershot-Hurd writing over at Virtual Impax made a brilliant post about defetaing perfectionism.
Now, I’ve worked with myself and my clients around the issue of doing it ‘good enough’ and letting go of perfectionism. But, I love what she wrote:
I know that I had worked on the issue with several coaching professionals, each tried DESPERATELY to cure me of the affliction. However, the real start to my recovery began when I picked up a book at Barnes and Noble. I can’t even remember the name of the book or even the subject matter, I just remember finding more than one or two typos. TYPOS!!! (It wasn’t a self published POD type book either!) The difference between that gentleman and myself: his book was published and had been purchased by a total stranger. My book was still living in my head as a fantasy and nothing more.
It’s only then that all the advice began to sink in… how launching a good marketing campaign today is infinitely better than launching a GREAT one next year.
I think one of my biggest revelations in growing my own business has been each time I’ve attended a seminar given by someone several ‘steps up’ from where my business is. For instance, two years ago I went to Manhattan to spend a day at a Seth Godin seminar. I got in courtesy of a free ticket from my incredibly generous and dependable conference call company.
Anyhoo, after spending a day with Seth, who had filled a room full of folks at $1000/head, I said: “I can do that. No big deal.” He even answered his cell phone, with a room full of people sitting there listening to him. “Hi. Yes. Sounds good. But, listen, I’ve got a roomful of people here, I’ve gotta go. Bye.”
Did he really need to have his cell phone on?
This process of seeing mistakes and shortcomings, if done in a spirit of acceptance and generosity, has been so helpful in so many ways.
Here’s a challenge: take a look around, find someone who has done something similar to what you are wanting to do in your business: a blog, a book, a CD, a seminar. And then: how many mistakes or things about it that could’ve been better?
Do you still appreciate it? Does this help? Let’s go on a mistake hunt, and see how that helps our level of acceptance with our own projects.
