Survive the perfection phobia: Learn from the creators of content
We've likely all had a friend who could not finish a project because they thought that every part had to be perfect. But, perfection doesn't exist (truly). As a result, projects are left unfinished either on their laptop or their studio. Some might consider the time invested wasted since nobody gets to appreciate what the artist has created.
Perfectionism can be a major blocker for creators and entrepreneurs. In a research study conducted by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, perfectionism can be linked with "feelings of failure, guilt or guilt, indecisiveness, procrastination humiliation, and lower self-esteem." This is why individuals struggle to get ahead with their job or undertaking - which is called perfection paralysis.
But, how do you conquer this?
The process of letting go of perfection and shifting to a real-world standard for when something is ready to share is challenging. To help you do this we asked two expert authors to discuss their journey to overcome the fear of perfection during a virtual summit in August of 2022. The session can be viewed on YouTube:
Before we begin to dive into the tricks, we'll meet our presenters:
Steve Harris is a global business coach that helps high-performing individuals and institutions bridge the gap between their capabilities and their performance. Self described as "ruthless" and "ruthless," he's been working with more than 1,000 clients and encouraged them to do their effort to achieve outstanding performance.
Grace Abbott is a multi-hyphenate designer, strategist, and branding expert who is a specialist in building businesses in the area of commerce and content. Her last five years have been focused on creating To Be Magnetic - turning an old wellness blog into a rapidly growing membership website - the number one destination for Neural manifestation.
The responses have been edited to ensure the utmost clarity.
Why do people get too caught up in perfection?
How have you overcome perfection paralysis?
Digital products don't need to be flawless, but they do require a certain level of quality to sell. How can a creator set their standards to a standard of excellence that's suitable for their business as well as their image?
Grace declares:
"Consider the impact of your logo on the quality of your content and knowledge you're planning to provide? Does it convey a convincing story about what you have to provide? Then, of course you need to ensure that when you're making a copy edit or that you've got top-quality audio and video. These are all things that are going to make the users experience as good as it can be.
It's more important than anything else, go at it. There is no need for an expensive production team to make an excellent video. It's possible to shoot something great on your iPhone. Just be mindful that there's no background and that the audio quality is good.
What is the first step a knowledge creator can make to create their first digital item?
Steve says:
"I find that a lot of entrepreneurs get caught up with their message and they're not thinking about the marketplace. The question to consider is - can there be a market for my message? How do you know if there's any market to your message?
It's quite simple to you can ask questions about:
- What's the problem that my words or enthusiasm can address?
- Who's the cause and requires a solution?
- Who are the people you're obligated to serve?
- How do you find these?
- How will they find you?
- What amount of money are they able to spend?
- What is the reason anyone should choose you over all the options which are available?