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Today’s episode is about something that has been coming up again and again for myself, my clients, my messages in the DMs: we will be talking all about progress over perfection and why perfectionism is holding you back and how to move forward with confidence even if things feel messy or unfinished.
Personally, I’ve adopted this mantra and I repeat it to myself every single day through motherhood. Motherhood and being a first time parent is truly something you can’t get perfect. You cannot have that expectation of yourself because you’re doing it for the first time and nothing can prepare you than just going in headfirst.
So whether you are an entrepreneur or if you’re just finding yourself, tweaking your website for the hundredth time (check out my episode with tips here), or writing your Instagram caption 10 times before posting or holding off on launching until it’s perfect, then this episode is for you.
The Pitfalls Of Perfectionism
Perfectionism is really sneaky, especially if you’ve identified with it for your entire life. It often disguises itself as. Having really high standards or wanting to do things the right way, but the truth is underneath all of those excuses is fear. And I’ve seen this over and over with the creator and coach community because fear of judgment, fear of failure, fear of not being good enough. We subject ourselves to this.
Because we are putting ourselves out there, and so ultimately, perfectionism is just fear in disguise. It shows up in so many ways, such as procrastination over researching, comparing yourself to others, or just feeling like your work isn’t worthy of being seen unless it’s. Flawless, and this ultimately leads you to not sharing your work at all.
I’ve seen it with clients who delay launching their coaching programs or posting on Instagram or posting their first YouTube videos, not because they don’t have value to offer, they absolutely do, but it’s for things like they convince themselves that their landing page isn’t perfect, their idea isn’t good enough.
They always talk themselves out of it. And believe me, I have been there too. But raise your hand if you can identify with this. Raise your hand if maybe you’ve been an overachiever all of your life and you just want to be the best and you want things to be perfect, but it delays your progress. Let’s talk about it.
The Cost Of Perfection
Let’s talk about the real cost of perfectionism. When you wait for things to be perfect, you miss out on opportunities. I’ve drawn a little diagram representing this. Imagine if you have point A and point B. Point B is taking action and let’s put point B one month down the line. That’s when you decide to.
Take action on what it is you set out to. If you move that point B up to let’s say tomorrow, you get to learn and open up so many opportunities. If you just take one action a day. If you delay, you delay growth. You put off gaining experience that only comes from actually doing the thing. Remember, execution always over ideation.
I’ve launched programs in the past that weren’t perfect, and you know what? They still helped people. They still brought in income, and I’ve learned so much more from launching and doing it all imperfectly than I ever would have from sitting around trying to make them flawless. And the thing is, nobody is ever looking at your work with a magnifying glass.
Most people won’t notice the little details you’re obsessing over. They honestly just want your energy, your message, and your guidance. The more you share and the more you. Step out of that perfectionist comfort zone, you’re going to realize that, hey, all of these things that I’m stressing over, they’re not worth my time at all.
How To Shift Your ‘Perfectionism’ Mindset
So now you might be wondering, how do I shift out of perfectionism and into progress? It honestly starts with reframing the way you measure success. So instead of asking. Is this perfect? Is this worthy of sharing? Instead ask, is this helping me grow? Or will this move me one step forward to my ideal reality?
One of my favorite mantras is Done is Better than Perfect, and I have another podcast episode all about this. But momentum creates clarity, not the other way around. You don’t gain clarity from overthinking. You gain clarity from doing the thing and gaining momentum. Progress is showing up and trying.
It’s making mistakes and learning from them. It’s being brave enough to hit publish. Send the email, post the offer, post the content even when it’s scary. Your first podcast episode will be awful. Your first video will be awful. Your first article that you write will be awful. Your first photo will be awful.
Your first offer will probably be awful, but you can’t make your 50th without making your first. So just get it over with and do it.
Letting Go Of Perfection As First Time Mom
Personally, after becoming a mother the past few months, I’ve been thrown into being a beginner all over again. I’ve been thrown into motherhood, not having any experience. Of course, I’ve read some books and talked to people and tried to prepare myself, but when it actually comes down to it, when you have a full baby in front of you that you are responsible of taking care of after not having done any of it. You really have no choice but just to do it right. Like I was so fearful when I was breastfeeding, thinking ‘ What if I don’t produce enough milk? What if I can’t keep this baby full?’ All of these worst case scenarios. But after doing it, because you have to right? Or else your baby will starve. After just doing it, you create the reality where you know what you’re doing, and that is key. I had no idea how to change a diaper, but after doing it hundreds of times, I am now an expert.
I had no idea how to bathe a child. I had no idea how to get a passport for a baby, but all of these things, after doing it. It gets easier and easier and you just learn. There’s so much fear that you can build up around it, and it’s all in your head. The only way it’s ever gonna go away is if you put yourself out there and do what you’ve never done before.
How To Action Progress Over Perfection
If you are struggling with perfectionism, it can be really easy to delay taking action because it’s (usually) not like someone else’s livelihood depends on it. So let me share some practical ways to lean into. Progress over perfection and choosing progress.
Set A Time Limit
So give yourself a hard deadline and ACTUALLY stick to it, whether it’s 30 minutes to write a post or hit publish on Instagram or to build your sales page. Having a constraint gives you that freedom and gives you that pressure to hit publish or to just do what. And you end up realizing like, is the next hour or the next day, is that better used, trying to make this perfect from 91% perfect to 92% perfect.
Or is it worth my time to just hit post or launch or just. Do the thing and then learn from it. It’s wiser to use that time learning from taking action.
Mindset Shift to ‘Version 1’
The next tip is to focus on version one. Your first few attempts at something doesn’t need to be final. You can always iterate later. You can always change it later. You can always edit. You can always come out with version twos or version threes or. Your 10th or 20th podcast episode, don’t expect the first version to be perfect. It’s impossible. And I love, I personally love going back to my first ever episode or my first ever Instagram post or other creators first videos. You see how much they’ve grown. We all go through it, but the experts are the ones that actually take action even when they’re scared.
Celebrate Small Wins
The next tip I have for you is to celebrate small wins by focusing on just one step at a time and one achievement at a time. You build that confidence. So did you show up? Did you post? Did you try something new? That’s all progress worth celebrating because once you do it once, it’s so much easier to do it again. What I love when I have little wins to celebrate, not only do I write them down in my passion planner, but sometimes I’ll even treat myself to a glass of wine or to a massage or to a manicure. Anything to help you celebrate that little win. It’s always going to make you feel good and attract that energy.
Detach From The Outcome
… and insteadfocus on taking action rather than obsessing over results. This is easier said than done because I know so many of my clients who take action and then they’re obsessing over how many webpage visits they get or how many impressions they get.
Make sure you are celebrating what actually matters, which is the action itself, because that’s going to be what gets you through tough times in the future. You’re developing. That muscle and developing that resiliency. Choose progress every time. You can always refine later, so you cannot ever improve what you haven’t put out into the world.
When I posted my first ever Instagram post, I did not know how to edit photos. I did not have the equipment that I have today. When I launched my first group coaching program, I didn’t have all the tech perfectly set up, all of the perfect onboarding emails or systems or automations, but I had transformation and I had the desire to serve and that was enough.
I’ve also had clients who come to me and they’re obsessing over tech and equipment, and I tell them, just record your first podcast episode on your phone or build your first website using free templates. It does not have to be. Perfect. And guess what? They started, they grew, they learned, and they ultimately succeeded because of this imperfect action, because of the progress over perfection.
Choosing Progress In Every Area Of Life
Choosing progress shows up in every area of life.
In Business
In business it means posting even when your brand isn’t polished or perfect. It means launching your offer, even if you don’t have a fancy funnel. It’s starting ads, even if you don’t completely understand what you’re doing. It’s publishing your first blog post, even if you have no idea how to write a blog post.
In Life
In life it might mean going to the gym for 15 minutes instead of skipping the workout altogether because you don’t have the perfect workout plan. It might mean going surfing even if you have no idea how to stand up, but just getting into the water with a surfboard or writing one paragraph of your book instead of waiting for the perfect time, the perfect environment, or the perfect setup to write for three hours straight.
The more you practice this mindset. The more confident and empowered you will feel. So here is your reminder that you do not need to be perfect to be powerful. You do not need to have it all figured out to make an impact or take the next step. Take messy action. Trust the process. Progress always beats perfection.
If this episode resonated with you, I’d love for you to share it on Instagram and tag @thewanderlover tag @thewanderloverpodcast. Let me know what area of your life or business you’re committing to take imperfect action in this week. And if you are ready to take the next step in your business with guidance and support, check out our current programs in the episode description.
They’re designed for progress, not perfection. Thank you guys so much for tuning in and I will see you in the next episode. If you found this episode helpful, don’t forget to share it with a friend and leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
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