Building a Successful Business - How to Move Past the Need For Perfection

If you are like most people you probably want to do "a good job" meaning you want to deliver a piece of work that you feel good about and that will meet your customers need. That is great. However, many people are holding themselves back because they believe they have to do a more than perfect job. This quite often results in not getting the work done at all. In this article I will explore our relationship to "perfection" and also how choosing completion over perfection will move you ahead and create great results.

A friend of mine is a very talented graphics designer. She has done numerous of work that really is outstanding within her field. However, sometime ago as business was slowing down she was made redundant by her boss. She has now decided to start up her own business.

The problem is, however, that my friend seems to be "the best kept secret in the world" that I know of. To start with she does not have a webpage or a simple business card which does not make it easy for her to approach future customers. Moreover even if potential customers wanted her work they would not know how to find her.

So, why is my friend procrastinating something that she clearly wants and is capable of doing? The answer is very simple. My friend believes that her website has to be nothing less that perfect otherwise she will not want to get it out there. So far the result is not what she wants. She has no customers. This is obviously not a situation that my friend or any other business owner wants to be in.

This is a very simplified example although from my experience as a coach I do not think my friend is very much different from a lot of other people who wants to start up their own business. Of all the reasons that are holding people back I have found the need for perfection to take first prize.

So what is this thing about wanting perfection?

First let me state that from my point of view perfection is an illusion that mostly serve to hold us back. Please do not get me wrong. Like I said we all want to do a good job. That is honourable, it helps make the world go round and I highly respect that. However, the need for perfection is different from doing a great job. The need for perfection is to aim for something that simply does not exists and therefore a great way to hold yourself back.

So what do I mean by saying that perfection does not exist?

Well, in reality if something was "just perfect" it would mean that there was no room for improvement. This simply is not true. No matter how great a piece of work there will always be some room for improvement. You may choose not to improve your work but fortunately the room for improvement will always be there. The room for improvement is what motivates us and help us to develop further so that hopefully we continue to grow.

Following are a few questions that I suggest you ask yourself in order to move past your need for perfection:

1. What exactly is my relationship to perfection?
2. Does this perspective serve me in getting my work done?
3. Are there other perspectives that would serve me better?

I have found that the following perspectives have served me and others very well in creating great results:

1. I choose completion over perfection
2. Done is better than perfect
3. Good enough quite often really is good enough
4. Good enough may be viewed "great" by others
5. Perfection is highly overrated growing is better

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Michala Storm guides solo-prenenurs/small business worldwide to create sustainable business visions and make them happen. Michalas specialty is connecting US entrepreneours to the Danish Market. Michala has a background as solo-preneour of green business, author as well as several coaching, marketing- and business degrees.

By: Michala Storm


source : ezinearticles