Step Aside, Perfectionism! We've got action to take...
Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that perfectionism is a good trait. I can definitely see that side of the coin too, trust me…
It means you have high standards, attention to detail, care about quality, have a strong appreciation doing things “right”. It might reflect your goal-oriented, task-focused, reliable, forward-thinking, innovative side as you constantly look to make things BETTER.
And perfectionism can have some unwanted side effects: Procrastination, stopping you in the first place, causing you to question, doubt, overthink, second-guess, never share, never feel ready, never feel smart enough, good enough. It can strain relationships, take up a lot of energy, and can even lead to burnout.
What would happen if we turn down the noise of perfectionism just 1%?
"Perfectionism has nothing to do with getting it right. It has nothing to do with fixing things. It has nothing to do with standards. Perfectionism is a refusal to let yourself move ahead... It causes you to get stuck in the details of what you're writing, painting, or making and to lose sight of the whole."
3 Types of Perfectionism:
Self-Oriented Perfectionism
Definition: Setting extremely high standards for yourself and striving for/demanding perfection from yourself.
Other-Oriented Perfectionism
Definition: Holding others to unrealistic standards and being critical of their performance.
Socially Prescribed Perfectionism
Definition: Believing others have high expectations of you and feeling pressured to meet them.
Covert vs. Overt Perfectionism
Perfectionism isn’t always on display or let out…
Covert perfectionism may never be openly expressed but can eat you from the inside out.
Overt perfectionism is outwardly showing frustration or letting it get in your way.
Where can perfectionism cause us trouble in content and marketing, relationships, and collaborations in our businesses?
CONTENT CREATION
- Reluctance to publish content until it feels absolutely perfect which can cause delays and lead to missed opportunities.
- Over-editing things
- Criticizing team members’ or collaborators, leading to a tense working environment, reduced team morale, and being unwilling to ask for help
- Constantly worrying about audience feedback and fearing negative criticism, leading to anxiety and potential creative block.
- Internally obsessing over details and feeling dissatisfied with one’s work, even if not vocalized
- Difficulty trusting others, asking for help, feeling the need to micromanage all the things
It’s exhausting. It can lead to decreased productivity, stop you entirely before you even do the thing, and lead to burnout.
COLLABORATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS:
- Causes friction in collaborations as the other person feels dismissed, mistreated, undervalued, etc.
- It can make you difficult to work with and cause a lot of stress and strain on relationships
Do you want CONNECTION or perfection? Do you want COLLABORATION or perfection? Do you want progress or perfection?
In the episode, we explore exactly that as we get into:
- Perfectionism defined by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way (p.119-120 quoted)
- The upsides and downsides of being perfectionistic
- Three types of perfectionism that show up in our business
- How perfectionism can show up in marketing, collaborations, relationships, and beyond!
- Covert and overt perfectionism
- 6 Ideas to help you turn it down 1% at a time
- And more!
Journaling Prompt (from Julia Cameron’s Book The Artist’s Way)
- What would I do if I didn’t have to do it perfectly?
- What would I say if I didn’t have to say it perfectly?
Consider: Anything worth doing might be worth doing imperfectly (even badly) at first.
Resources Mentioned:
Becoming 7% Better Experiment (Emily’s Substack Article)
Content with Character Episode: How to Stop People-Pleasing in Your Marketing
About Me:
I’m Emily Aborn, Content Copywriter, Speaker, and Podcast Host of Content with Character and She Built This. I’ve worked with 100+ industries as a copywriter, writing original copy that increases your confidence. Fan of: being a nerd, reading, podcasts, and hiking with my husband and dog.
Email: emily@emilyaborn.com
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