Is Perfectionism Keeping You From Success?
July 7, 2008
Can you believe I’m still being inundated by comments and questions about my free "Prerequisites to Success" report, a full TWO WEEKS after I released it?!
Interestingly, what’s got most people buzzing is the list I included of the 20 MOST important character traits you need to have — or develop — in order to succeed with your own online business.
(Click here if you haven’t downloaded your copy of the report and self-evaluation yet).
In short, it seems many of you didn’t agree with a couple of the points I put on the list!
Take this one, for example:
"You recognize that perfectionism can be the worst enemy of progress, and you don’t always need to be perfect."
"But Derek," many of you asked, "what’s the point in trying to start a business, if you’re just going to do things half way, or if you always settle for second best? Don’t all wealthy entrepreneurs aim for excellence every single day?"
So let me just clear up one thing…
When I talk about perfectionism, I’m NOT talking about the healthy pursuit of excellence. I’m talking about the unhealthy fear of making even one tiny mistake!
See, perfectionists are typically SO concerned with being "wrong," or making errors, that they waste HUGE amounts of time obsessing over tiny details that, in the long run, aren’t that important.
And you might be surprised to hear that perfectionists are also some of the biggest procrastinators I know!
That’s because they’re literally PARALYZED by the fear of not doing something perfectly. In order to avoid failure, they just keep putting off doing ANY of the things they need to accomplish…
… and inevitably, just sit there spinning their wheels, never getting anywhere with their businesses!
Now I think you’ll agree now that those are NOT good traits, right?
But the good news is that, if YOU happen to be a perfectionist, it doesn’t mean you can’t be successful online! Here are five strategies you can use to overcome your perfectionist impulses, and become a more balanced (and happy) achiever…
Strategy #1: Be realistic about what you can achieve
Many perfectionists set themselves impossible deadlines, or take on tasks they can’t reasonably hope to complete on their own.
Then, when they inevitably fail, they beat themselves up for not being perfect, which just makes them procrastinate further, or be even MORE obsessive with the next task.
So take a long, hard look at what you want to accomplish during any given day. Ask yourself if your goal is reasonable and realistic. Is it something somebody else would be able to accomplish?
If the answer is no, then break the goal into smaller "chunks," and focus on completing one small piece at a time.
Strategy #2: Set strict time limits for each of your projects
A great technique for heading off the endless wasted hours working on trivial things is to give yourself a limited amount of time to complete any given task.
Decide how much you want to spend on a certain project, and then STICK to those limits. Be firm!
This will keep you from burning up an entire day hunting for that "perfect" image you want to add to your site, when you could have been doing something with that time to complete tasks that would add considerably more value to your business.
Strategy #3: Think of failure as a learning experience
It’s inevitable: some of the things you try with your site simply won’t work!
So instead of thinking about a salesletter that didn’t convert the way you wanted it to as a sign that you’re a failure at writing salescopy, look at the "failed" letter as the perfect opportunity to understand your market better.
By evaluating why the letter didn’t work, you’ll gain a better understanding of your audience, which will help you in many other aspects of your business as well.
Strategy #4: Celebrate your successes
When you’re a perfectionist, it’s easy to focus on the fact that you haven’t yet achieved some of the goals you set for yourself, which can feed into your fear of failure.
So, rather than taking a negative view of what’s NOT done yet, take some time to look at all of the smaller things that you HAVE accomplished while working toward your goals.
Remember that it’s not just the end goal that matters. The smaller milestones you complete along the way are successes in themselves.
Strategy #5: Don’t be afraid to admit you need help
Believe me, YOU are the only person who expects you to have all the answers!
I know from personal experience that taking advice and direction for your Internet business from people who have already figured it out, is a HUGE advantage…
… and NOT a sign that you’re a failure!
By recognizing that YOU are your biggest critic, and understanding that ‘good enough’ is BETTER than perfect, you’ll be well on your way to a stable, successful — and more importantly — HEALTHY and HAPPY business!
To your success,
Derek Gehl
Loading ...
Hi Derek,
You hit the cover off the ball with the article “Is Perfectionism Keeping You from Success?”
Every point you made was right on the money and so true. I started a virtual assistant business 18 months ago. At the beginning, I was obsessed with doing everything perfectly and devastated when I made a mistake. After all, what would happen if my clients were to learn that I was less than perfect!
Fortunately, it did not take long to have the light bulb moment and remind myself that everyone in life or business makes mistakes. One of my favorite sayings is “there are no mistakes, just opportunities to learn something that I did not know.”
I’ve learned that swift, sincere, and heartfelt apologies along with immediately rectifying & offering compensation for mistakes go a long ways in preserving client relationships.
I consistently continue to strive for excellence but gladly parted ways with the elusive idea of perfection.
Thanks much for sharing your expertise and insight.
Best wishes for your continued success,
Roz
Yep - there’s a fine line between striving for excellence and perfectionism. One person is more tightly “wound” than the other, and usually doesn’t get as much accomplished.
Well said Derek- almost every time we learn something new we get scared because we think we need to get it perfect. However, what is the worst that happens when it does not turn out how we expected it to - we learn something and have another go! And if we cannot learn how to do it all on our own we Get Help! In fact we usually learn by relating with others because that relationship both helps us find a faster learning curve and supports us; not to be perfect, to be successful. Hey you probably do not drive your car perfectly however, if you have passed your driving test you are successful at being able to drive a car (and remember someone probably helped you to learn that skill!),
Hi Derek,
You’re so right on your points on “Perfectionism” and how it keeps us down. Florence Littauer in her book Personality Plus (1992, 1993) breaks us all down into the 4 most common personality types, and the two which go hand-in-hand which are both killers are :”Perfect Melancholy” and “Peaceful Phlegmatic” which are both killers in the sense of procrastination. But once you realize those weaknesses, you can take steps to remedy these, rather than take it that you’ll never succeed.
John
Only perfection leads to specialization in any fields it was really a great article!!!
Hi Derek and All,
The perfectionism you mention here has always been my biggest enemy - and even now it’s pretty hard to overcome it.
I think it goes hand in hand with a constant planning, planning and planning and never actually doing ANYTHING! You always try to plan everything so well, that eventually a quite a good business idea starts losing any sense and you just forsake it and start thinking something new…
Now I’m over this barrier and running a few successful ventures, but this whole perfectionism thing still is my enemy…. but I’m fighting it every day!
And a very good point you made, Derek, is this point:
Strategy #5: Don’t be afraid to admit you need help
This is a VERY important acknowledgement and basically how I translate it is - you can just go out there on the Net and look up what others have done…Ideas aren’t copyrighted and you just have to blend it all with your personal knowledge etc. and — you can by very successful in niches where you don’t even stand close to the ones that actually know all about the stuff!
Thanks Derek!
Hi Derek,
Exactly! I’m a Life & Executive Coach and too often find perfectionists procrastinate! It’s great when you finally get them to see that others don’t expect them to be as perfect as they think they need and want to be and getting the work out there actually on time can often be more important than having it ‘perfect’ but never then never done. And what is perfect anyway and to whom?
Cheers,
Jacqueline
Any thoughts of becoming a self development coach
The way you break down subject to step by step guidelines
is really helpful. Thank you
I think #5 “Don’t be afraid to admit you need help.” is one where most people fail. Some business owners want to believe so strongly in their own ideas that they fail to seen the wisdom and experience of others. Those who succeed in multiple business ventures are people who surround themselves with other successful, smart, and experienced individuals.