Paralyzing Perfection

For a long time I delayed getting started on so many things. I can list many reasons why, but I think I can narrow it down to one: perfectionism.

First of all, I feared that if it wasn’t perfect, people would criticize it. There’s several flaws with this line of thinking. The truth is, there will always be people that will criticize your efforts! Furthermore, rarely has anyone ever began their story by being a master in their craft.

For example, I recently read an article in Oxford-Royale that described Walt Disney’s perseverance:

“He experienced multiple failures, including one point at which his finances were in such a parlous state that he allegedly ate dog food to survive. His first studio, the Laugh-O-Gram Studio, lasted just two years before going bankrupt in 1923.

By 1926, he had created a successful cartoon character in the form of Oswald the Rabbit, but when he tried to negotiate a higher fee for producing the series, his distributer informed him that his fee was to be cut instead. Even worse, he didn’t own the intellectual property to the character as he had believed he did. He was given an ultimatum: accept the reduced fee or have the character and staff taken from him. He declined, and most of his staff left him. But the loss of the Oswald character was ultimately to be Disney’s gain. The next character he created was due to be remembered long after Oswald was just a footnote in Disney’s biography: Mickey Mouse.”

Second, we must realize that time is still going to pass whether you act or not. If you don’t get started today, then you will wake up years from now and realize that you are no closer to your goals and dreams.

Perhaps you are insecure of the quality of your work, but it can only get better with practice and time!

Lastly, perfection is an unattainable standard. There are many factors that can affect our performance. Recognize that there are many things that we have no control of. The conditions will never be perfect, and you won’t always feel you are performing at 100%. It’s consistency that will be the key to getting closer to your goals, not perfection. Find out what you can control, and work from there.

In conclusion, don’t look for perfection. Instead, aim for improvement through consistency and longevity.