MellissaJanuary 1, 2021Hi, I am Mellissa, and I am a Perfectionist 
Perfectionism has kept me from doing so many things in my business.
Have you ever had a brilliant idea, the kind that keeps you up at night fantasizing, and after a few days, weeks, or years it’s still just an idea?
Have you ever created something you wanted to share with the world but no one’s seen it yet because you’re still polishing it? I’m talking about those endless tweaks that keep you from putting your work out into the world.
As someone with high standards who cares deeply about the quality of what I produce, I’m intimately familiar with the pull to keep polishing… forever.
I wasted so much time trying to get things perfect before putting it out to the public, that time went by and I missed the opportunities to capitalize on these moments. I have a book filled with missed opportunities and ideas for my business.
My mantra for 2021, ‘Progress over Perfection’ applies to so many areas of my life. Enrolling in a coaching program last year and now launching my own Mindset Reset Coaching Program this year, has helped me to fully embrace this concept.
I’ve come to understand the difference between high standards and perfectionism.
Prioritizing progress doesn’t mean I’m lowering my standards or putting crap out into the world, it means I’m being relentless about learning, growing, evolving, and improving. I work hard and put in my best effort to get things done.
I’ve learnt that it’s okay not to get it right the first time
There’s no shame in growing and improving my work — but I can’t do that until I put it out there.
How I Use this mantra
I Repeat this mantra whenever I find myself questioning my next step or endlessly “fixing” my creations.
My Progress So Far
It’s the 21st of February 2021 and I appeared live in my Facebook Group more than once this year, I prepared breakfast live on my Posh Green Life Gourmet Instagram page and now hosting my own virtual workshop on Zoom. I am three years into my business and I’ve never done these things before.
If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you have launched too late.
– Reid Hoffman, Founder of LinkedIn
Here are two things to bear in mind, when you feel that your perfectionist ways are taking over:
- If You Wait to Get It Perfect, You’ll Never Get It Done. Perfection is an illusion, and striving for perfection sets you up for failure.
- Endless tweaking is a manifestation of procrastination and the fear of being judged. Since you’ll never reach the perfection you’re aiming for, you never have to actually share something with the world, and be judged by others.
I hope this post can help someone overcome their perfectionist ways and just launch that great idea that they’ve been sitting on for a while.
In 2021, I hope that we all support each other through better conversations and understanding. You can expect many more live appearances, progress photos, goals that fail, and MORE as I throw perfection out the window!
