This post is also a podcast episode!
Do you consider yourself a “Perfectionist”?
Maybe not, but this is one of the most common blocks that I see again and again with clients, myself, and friends. We are sabotaging ourselves and preventing our businesses from growing, all in pursuit of the ever elusive “perfect” outcome. In this podcast episode we dig into why we do this and what it looks like (usually). I share personal anecdotes and have 2 exciting new offers for those of you who are ready to move past this block!
Why are we Perfectionists?
These are just a few of the most common ways I think we become “perfectionists”:
1. Societal or familial conditioning Were you pushed to get perfect grades in school? Or did you feel pressure to look perfect?
2. We might be “trained” to be perfectionists via schooling or in certain work environments, especially a more “masculine” environment that sets us up with unrealistic expectations and doesn’t value creativity, “the messy process” or see failure as a necessary part of growth.
3. You might actually be wired for perfectionism. I have seen this theme show up in some peoples’ Human Design Readings, as well as in my own chart. (Contact me for a reading if you want to work through this in your own HD!)
How does perfectionism show up in our work?
These are the most common ways that I see, from working with dozens of entrepreneurs over the past couple years:
1. Not taking ANY action because we think we need to be 100% “ready”, or have 100% clarity on the end vision. Sometimes this looks like over-educating yourself (taking ALL the certifications/ courses) before feeling like you’re an “expert”, when really you only need to be a few steps ahead of the people you’re helping (in most fields). Or it might look like putting off launching your business, or a new product forever because you haven’t had that magical burst of total clarity yet. . . FYI, you have to take step 1 before you are totally clear on step 2, and so on.
2. A time-suck: You could spend 1 hour on an A- version or 16 hours on an A+ version. . . what’s really going to move the needle forward in your business?
3. Being a control freak : Thinking only I can do this “right” (perfectly) which keeps us from growing our biz, and trusting others to take on tasks that aren’t in our wheelhouse. This often prevents businesses from growing, because one person can only take on so many tasks!
Listen to the full podcast episode for details on an in-person gathering in Madison for recovering perfectionists!
