Today’s post is brought to you by the practice of imperfection.
To write and post, I need to be OK with sharing my work before it feels 100% complete and perfect.
That ingrained need to do things “just right” served me well in my career up to a point. It’s great to be known as thorough and responsible.
But as my work responsibilities expanded, and now in my own business, the “just right” mindset gets in the way. It still shows up – a hesitation to send out a proposal until it’s fine-tuned, or a reluctance to share my new book idea until it’s further along. So I’m still working on shifting my mindset.
Do you also hold ideas back until they are “ready”? Do you finish your tasks to 110% before they are done?
Odds are, if you’re like me, you might benefit from loosening the constraints and sharing earlier.
Why?
-Getting input earlier often means less rework.
-It engages others in your projects. Just as you feel ownership of an idea, other people can as well. (If that seems scary…let’s chat. I address this a lot in my scientific leadership coaching.)
-Finishing clears space. If I’m still working towards the asymptotically small benefits from the last 1% of a project, I don’t have mindspace to start something new.
And it brings your thoughts and wisdom out in the world. How many great ideas never see the light of day because they are never “perfect”?
What are you working on right now to make it “just right” that you can share today?
Try it, and let me know what happens.
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