I have written a couple of posts that I haven’t posted yet.
Edited them a dozen times and then re-edited them.
Eventually, I gave up on them without even posting.
I do this a lot.
Not only while writing but also while working on other projects too.
A number of times I have researched about a social media project.
Brainstormed the idea.
Collected loads of data.
However, the end result is still the same.
I gave up on it because it wasn’t perfect.
This repeated behaviour made me wonder why I give up on a good ideas so often?
Why I repeat this behaviour again and again.
Finally I found a reason!
The reason is perfectionism.
Perfectionism is an act of self sabotage.
Trying to do things perfectly usually seems like a good idea but it is not realistic.
There is a fine difference between perfectionism and excellence.
Excellence is improving your work to the point of having only minute flaws.
Perfectionism is tolerating no flaws at all.
Perfectionist will overwork so much that it leads to exhaustion.
This exhaustion leads to quitting things.
Generally, accepting your ideas even if they are imperfect: works.
Believe in yourself that you will figure things out as you move forward.
Your plan will get better when you work on it.
So think about this.
You don’t need to be perfect the very first time.
On the contrary, you need to be as imperfect as you could.
Your idea doesn’t need to be the best when you start.
Instead the more flaws it has, the more expertise you will achieve.
The Key Is To Start, Continue and Persist.
Keep in mind that the longer you keep focusing on your flaws, the more you will start believing in them.
Instead, observe the flaws inside you.
Observe the flaws in the world around you.
You will notice that everything is flawed.
The movies you love have flaws.
The people you adore have flaws.
The desires you have, have flaws.
Thinking about it, I used to believe that one of my friend was flawless.
He had the perfect physique I have ever seen.
Turned out that he was scared of heights.
He was so frightened that he discarded a modeling assignment because he had to fly to another city.
In that moment, I realised that everybody has certain drawbacks.
Nobody is perfect in this world.
Focus on process, not end results.
Usually when I start something, I want to make it perfect.
If it is a post, even though I am not a good writer, I want it to be written perfectly.
If it is my physical fitness, I want to be at my best.
However, the right way to get healthy is to start going to the gym daily and make it a habit.
Flaws like these: makes me quit things easily without getting any results.
I think it’s not just me.
A lot of people feel the same.
A small unevenly written post is better than writing nothing for a month.
A 15 minute exercise session is better than not going to the gym for six months straight.
The thing is, the more flawed you are, the more comfortable you will feel about yourself.
