It’s natural to want everything to be perfect. The trouble is there’s no time for it.
You’ll be disappointed to find that most people aren’t perfectionists.
You need to learn how to manage expectations.
It’s a delicate balance, and you have to know when you’ve done as much as you should. You can always do more, but you need to move on.
You snooze you lose
Another problem with perfectionism is that you may miss opportunities. Suppose you decide to hold off releasing a product because you want to put more features into it.
You delay the release of the product by several months. But you see that your competitors are finished releasing their versions.
The product you would have released was better than your competitors. Customers would have likely bought your products over your competitors.
Try explaining that one to management or shareholders!
Spreading the news
Good customer experiences with products get shared with friends and family. This sharing also occurs on social media channels, which in turn, can go viral.
It’s more challenging to build up a product that’s not yet released than it is to build up one that is.
When perfectionism is okay
There are cases that call for perfectionism. Medical techniques and technologies come to mind.
In most other fields, though, perfectionism will hold you back. It’s not necessary, and it only leads to frustration and delays.
Of course, you should never release products that have a sloppy design. Or are dangerous to the consumer.
That’s where this delicate balance comes into play. The product needs to meet safety guidelines.
Your reputation is at stake, and you don’t want customers bashing your product or your brand. In this case, it may be necessary to delay the release of products until they are safe, etc.
In self we trust
How is being a perfectionist a sign that you don’t trust yourself? You think that nothing is ever good enough and that you have to keep striving to be better.
When you trust yourself, you can reel in expectations to manageable levels.
Sam Bennett makes her second visit to CHI FOR YOURSELF today. Sam is the author of START RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE: How Little Changes Can Make a Big Difference for Overwhelmed Procrastinators, Frustrated Overachievers, and Recovering Perfectionists.
If you see yourself in any of those categories you’ll want to be with us for Sam Bennett. Today at 1 pm Pacific, 4 pm Eastern time at chiforyourself.com.
It’s a time of the year when people gather. And one of their big talking points is resolutions for the coming year. During the next couple of weeks, CHI FOR YOURSELF will get you in a high energy mindset for making changes in your life.
You’ll be getting GenuLines posts to help strengthen your intentions. And, our first scheduled CHI FOR YOURSELF guest in 2017 is someone whose expertise is organizing her clients’ lives- and that includes making and keeping those resolutions! Details in a future post…
Remember, this week our CHI FOR YOURSELF scheduled guest is Sam Bennett, author of START RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE: How Little Changes Can Make a Big Difference for Overwhelmed Procrastinators, Frustrated Overachievers, and Recovering Perfectionists,
Sam Bennett
We get underway on Thursday, Dec. 22nd at 1 pm Pacific, 4 pm Eastern time at chiforyourself.com
Article
Making Your Dreams Come True
Everyone, at some point in his or her life, has dreamed of being somebody special, somebody big. Who hasn’t fantasized about being the one who hits the game-winning homer? Who hasn’t dreamed of being the homecoming queen? And how many times have we dreamed of being rich, or successful, or happy with our relationships?
Often, we dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our aspirations easily collect dust in our attic.
This is a sad turn of events in our lives. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self- actualization, we get caught up in the humdrum of living from day-to-day just barely existing.
But you know what? Life could be so much better if only we learned to aim higher.
The most common problem involved in setting goals are the words ‘can’t’ and ‘impossible’. Most people get hung up thinking ‘I can’t do this,’ or ‘It’s not possible.’
However, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.
Remember that scientists were baffled when they took a look at the humble bumblebee. Theoretically, they said, it was impossible for the bumblebee to fly. However, the bumblebee doesn’t know that. So fly it does.
On the other hand, some people suffer from dreaming totally possible dreams and not acting on them. The result? Broken dreams, and tattered aspirations.
If you limit yourself with self-doubt and negative assumptions, you will never be able to break past what you deem impossible. If you reach too far out into the sky without working towards your goal, you will find yourself clinging on to the impossible dream while ignoring what is possible.
Try this exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down some goals in your life. Under one header, list down things ‘you know you can do’. Under another header, write the things ‘you might be able to do.’ And under one more, list the things that are ‘impossible for you to do.’
Now look at all the headers and strive every day to accomplish the goals that are under things ‘you know you can do’. Check them when you are able to accomplish them. As you slowly are able to check all of your goals under that heading, try accomplishing the goals under the next header – the one that reads ‘you might be able to do.’
As of the items you wrote under things you could do are accomplished, you can move the goals that are labeled ‘impossible for you to do’ to the list of things ‘you might be able to do.’
As you work through this process, you will find out that the goals you thought you could not do become easier to accomplish. And the ‘impossible’ begins to seem possible after all.
You see, the technique here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim high and start working towards that goal little by little. However, it also is unwise to set a goal that is truly unrealistic. Those who just dream towards a goal without working hard end up disappointed and disillusioned.
On the other hand, if you told someone a hundred years ago that it was possible for man to be on the moon, they would laugh at you. If you had told them that you could send mail from here to the other side of the world in a few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind. But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these ‘impossible’ dreams are now realities.
Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Nothing could be truer. Accomplishing our dreams often takes work and discipline. But take note that the 1% has to be a think-big dream, and not some easily accomplished one.
Ask any gym rat and he or she will tell you that there can be no gains unless you are put out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying, “No pain, no gain”?
So dream on, friend! Don’t get caught up in your perceived limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you step up the ladder of progress, you will find that the ‘impossible’ has just become a little bit more possible.
It’s natural to want everything to be perfect. The trouble is there’s no time for it.
RSS - Posts