Over the weekend whilst i was preparing this post. I heard about the tragic deaths of 4 children whilst out on their bikes killed by a drunk driver. Prior to that before hearing the news of the helicopter crash that killed 9 people including children & basket ball legend Kobi Bryant and his daughter of 13yrs.
Young lives gone just like that.
It almost didn’t feel right to continue with this post as i reflected on the trauma and emotional pain those families are going through.
However it also made me feel that now is the time to set your intentions for this year and not put it off for another week or a couple of months but to do it now.
What often gets in the way of not getting your stuff done i believe is 3 things – Fear, Procrastination and Perfection.
Let’s look at perfection. “Perfectionism is the refusal to accept any standard short of perfection” striving to achieve this standard however can often leave you feeling frustrated and anxious that you’re not good enough whether it’s at work or even socially.
You’re normally the one setting that bar based on various things social media, family, work pressures or strongly held beliefs. Laced with the fear of not wanting to be judged drives the perfectionism and so the loop continues.
Perfectionism can stop you from taking that first step towards what you want whether it’s completing a task or even starting it – because your mind tells you if it ain’t perfect I’m not going to do it or even attempt it. And if you finally get around to doing it takes forever and your never satisfied.
Imagine if you can put your perfectionist tendencies inside a box and label it “wait there not to be opened” and then get on with the business of living by taking imperfect action daily? I’m sure this will move you in the direction you want to go a lot sooner and quicker than perfection will ever take you. Kobi Bryant was by no means a perfect being far from it, however he’s a good example of keeping on despite his many failures and became a forceful leader in his life and his community. Those children were fearless in taking action daily without hesitation in their pursuit of joy!
I watched the news interview of the father in shock lovingly describing his children’s personalities and how ironically they were on their way to play as a tribute to Kobi.
His words “make sure you love your loved ones because you don’t know….”
Tomorrows are not promised so don’t let perfectionism rob you of that.
