How To Overcome Perfectionism Series Part 3: The Lean Start Up Book, No Guarantees & Perfectionism?

This is a sign or stamp that most of us want to see before we launch forward with a project. Let's admit it! We want a guarantee that whatever we try will be successful. If we apply for that job, we will get it. If we start that business it will become profitable. If we ask that guy out on a date (yes, we are progressive, lol!), he will say yes. If we start that exercise routine, we will have the best toned abs ever. Whatever it is - we want a guaranteed outcome, at least somewhere deep in our hearts. This is understandable, and I am not here to beat you over the head about it, because truth be told MOST of the time, that is my not so well hidden desire as well. BUT, here is what I am learning ... 

The Desire For Certainty Is An Obstacle Because The Transformation Happens In The DOING!

This desire for certainty IS an obstacle for launching forward and getting into action. I can guarantee a lot of things, but guaranteed success at every endeavor is not one of them. Sometimes we are going to apply for the job and we won't get it. Sometimes we will start a new project and it will crumble just as quickly as it started. Sometimes that relationship will not last and it will hurt! This is life, this is reality, but it isn't a bad thing. The only way to get to know what the final successful outcome will be is to take the first step and trust that with every step the path will gradually become clearer while we are taking action. I took action on something that I wasn't certain would work out in the last week, and I didn't know what the answer would be BUT I got clarity AFTER taking the action. This was a big realization for me. A lot of times we want clarity before we take action, but sometimes the clarity comes as a result of taking the action, meaning after we step out in faith. I apply this concept to overcoming perfectionism, because the motivation for perfectionism is guaranteed success before taking the LEAP of faith but in reality the project at hand is only made perfect by taking more and more consistent imperfect action while fine tuning the learning along the way. This continuous tweaking results in an eventual masterpiece but the masterpiece and transformation is a result of stepping forward despite having no guarantee of a future successful outcome. The masterpiece comes to the painter who is willing to take the risk of launching into the adventure of the unknown.

In the book, The LEAN START UP by Eric Ries there are some great principles to help entrepreneurs take their imperfect ideas into the world that I believe applies to everyone, whether or not you are an entrepreneur, especially as it relates to overcoming perfectionism.

Principle One: Find Your Sustainable Model Through Validated Learning

Eric tells businesses in the book to go discover what works in their market not by coming up with the perfect idea from the start (aka perfectionism) but through a process of constant learning, meaning validated learning. Validated learning consists of starting with a hypothesis and then testing it by getting in front of people (customers) and making an offer. There is risk in getting in front of people because they may say no, but the only way to successfully validate an idea is to take action and accept the risk by getting out of our comfort zone and getting in front of the people who matter. This is a great strategy to apply when working to overcome perfectionism. We move forward and put our ideas, projects, etc. out into the world through action. Whatever valuable feedback we receive, we tweak, learn and improve our idea - then launch again and again and again until we land that perfect job, business or relationship! We have to be willing to fail but to do it quickly, stay unstuck and pivot from the learning. 

Principle Two: Develop A Minimally Viable Idea To Test Your Idea In The Market

This is a principle that I love because it flies and laughs in the face of perfectionism. It requires us to take the product in the most basic form to the market to test if it resonates with the people who matter FAST! We don't get time to sit, tweak, improve and perfect. We take a sufficiently functioning prototype (the just enough but still ugly version) to the people who matter, get their feedback to see if it is a good idea or not and then we either discard it and save time and money from trying to perfect garbage or we learn that what we have proposed resonates so we can go back and spend our valuable time and resources investing in a project that we know will be worth it. As I talk about in my Masterclasses (register here), so many women don't get ahead in their careers because they spend their time being the busy worker bee 🐝🐝 doing things that leadership doesn't care about rather than working on the strategic things that can get them recognized and adequately rewarded. Perfectionism causes us to focus on the things that don't matter because these are the things we are comfortable with and used to doing rather than stretching ourselves to tackle the things that are outside of our competence but will bring substantial returns over time! I want you to get the most bang for your buck ladies!

Principle Three: To Find What Works You Most Often Have To Pivot (i.e. quit and move on to something else)

Perseverance isn't always the virtue to apply to every situation. This is why we test our ideas, get feedback and then pivot if it isn't resonating with the people who matter (and the people who matter are key here because we have to know the difference between unhelpful criticism from haters and valuable feedback from true stakeholders in our cause). When we get valuable feedback from the people who matter, then we need to be flexible and open to stop wasting time and resources on a sinking ship 🚢🚢!! Perfectionism can cause us to keep working hard on something that just isn't worth it. Not useful ways of persevering include: 

❌ Staying on a job where we are not valued, appreciated or recognized despite years of efforts instead of going where our talent is nurtured, encouraged and rewarded

❌ Remaining in a relationship that stifles our freedom, potential and joy

❌ Sticking to a diet and workout plan that just doesn't work for us

Sometimes the best thing we can do in the words of Kenny Rogers is to "know when to walk away and know when to run." (credits to my dad who now because of his eclectic taste in music growing up I have random flashbacks of songs I never knew, that I knew, lol!)

I hope you enjoyed this 3 Part Perfectionism Training!! If you would like to receive the first two parts to this series, subscribe to this blog here and you will also receive the Perfectionism Scale Quiz to find out your level of perfectionism.

In the words of philosopher Henry David Thoreau "What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals," I hope you become a freer, less anxious, more creative and bolder person as you work towards conquering the habit of perfectionism. 

Advance Your Career Masterclass

If you want to dive further into the concepts I discuss above, I invite you to check out my LIVE Masterclass: Advance Your Career Confidently 3 Steps To Overcome Self Doubt That Only The Select Few Have Been Taught. You Can Register here. 

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If you are in Europe, Africa or the Middle East, click here for the Masterclass specially for your time zone. 

Here are some amazing reviews from the class. Lights up my heart :) 💖💖💖