The goal isn't perfection

There are a whole lot of people out there who get hung up on an idea and it never, ever comes to fruition. They don’t like the colors. Their logo is never just right. Many of these types call themselves perfectionists, but is that really accurate? Maybe. Maybe not. I’m not a shrink, nor do I want to be. But I do know that a lot of people procrastinate themselves into the grave.

What do?

This email lines up a lot with the hoarding issues I talked about yesterday. I personally believe it is because the underlying issues exist in both people. Or maybe it ends up being the same people.

What I do know, though, is that taking simple first steps is really all you need to bust the perfection bug. And actually, I think it is all cope. Perfectionism doesn’t exist because we live in a clearly imperfect world. Anyone seeking perfection before they ever take any steps toward progress are NGMI.

What does it take to make it?

Forward progress. That’s it. Yes, that is an oversimplification of the process. But really, all you need to worry about day in and day out is to set a schedule of events leading to your goal and just go.

And I come at you as the worst example. Keeping my calendar up to date is a struggle for me. I can’t ever quite decide which format to use (paper-based or a digital calendar?). I miss targets. But when I look back over the past few years and actually look at my overall growth in that time, I am a little shocked tbh.

Take it easy on those shiny objects

In my experience, one of the worst things to happen when you start gaining momentum is to lose focus and start chasing shiny objects that don’t matter. Instead of staying the course with one thing that is working out, they take their vision in 12 directions and lose all that momentum they ever had on one.

And here’s the thing: that shiny object might end up being something you need later on down the road when you have figured things out a little bit more. But for now, just take one decisive action in your life and do something about it every day.

For me, it’s learning guitar. I bought my first guitar when I was like 11. And then another one at 18. And another one at 25. And guess what? I never took small steps (chord shapes, practicing scales daily) that would move the needle. Now I am 41 and finally taking action, practicing boring scales and shapes every single day.

And guess what?

My playing has improved fast. Yes, I have a long, long way to go. But that time is passing no matter what you do with it.

Parting thoughts

For most of us, we just need to get up off our haunches and take action. We have the entire internet at our fingertips, and there is a library in nearly every community. Access to knowledge is not the problem. If you are trying to start a business, do your homework first and maybe hire a coach to avoid some pitfalls.

Like Larry McMurtry said, if you wait around, the only thing that happens is you get older. So, you should probably stop waiting.