Action Kicks Perfection’s Butt Every Day of the Week
I can remember the day like it was yesterday.
I was recording a video when my girlfriend (Amy) came home for lunch.
I had already spent the past twenty minutes trying to record my “daily thought”.
Unfazed by all the camera equipment, she quietly made her lunch while I continued trying to say the perfect thing into the camera.
For her, it must have felt like listening to a broken record.
I would hit record, fumble my words, curse loudly, and prepare for the next take… and another, and another, and another.
Finally, after what seemed like my tenth try, Amy put her plate down, looked over at me, and stated the obvious…
“Quit trying to be so damn perfect. Just do one take and be done with it. Who cares what people think.”
Though I didn’t want to admit in the moment, she was SO right.
Up until then, I had been allowing perfection to hold me back from something I loved…creating content. Hell, it was holding me back from enjoying life! I was so concerned with others thought of me I felt that words and action had to be spot on. I was so damn caught up in the “quality of the production” that I inhibited my ability to take action.
Is perfection preventing you from taking action?
Whether it’s making content, going after that promotion, or making a complete change to your career, what’s holding you back? Oh, I know…
You’re too damn focused on being perfect.
Listen, the quest for perfection has killed more good ideas and life-changing moments than you and I will ever be able to count. You know what you should do, what you want to do, but you don’t. Why? You’re paralyzed by your desire to be perfect.
Life is about taking risks and the only way you’ll ever know what’s on the other side of that risk is through action. Is there a chance that your first video will suck? Yes. Might it be possible that the promotion you’re seeking isn’t what you thought it would be? You bet. Could you end up finding your new career should really just be a hobby? Absolutely. But, you’ll never know what you’re capable of until you take that first step.
It will be messy. You’ll have to course-correct. People will try to bring you down.
But, just keep putting one imperfect foot in front of another and don’t EVER look back.
When you focus on taking imperfect action every single day your life changes. You’re no longer worried about saying the perfect thing. Your future will no longer be controlled by the opinions of others. You’ll no longer be afraid to fail. Every action will only require one take.
So, make this the week you start building the life you deserve. Stop focusing on perfection and start pursuing action…really messy, imperfect action.
If you do, you’ll look back one year from now and be amazed how far you’ve come.
Amy, if you read this, I wrote this entire blog in one take. You’re the catalyst for this amazing momentum!