THE PERFECTION TRAP

I happened upon a piece of wisdom some time ago in a most unusual place--an advertising circular for a major sporting goods chain. In a little column that appeared in one of the company's ads, a short column titled Celebrity Coach's Corner caught my attention. Former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms was asked: "What is the most compelling coaching advice you have ever received?" His answer was a gem.

He responded that his Giants coach Bill Parcells once told him he would never be the perfect football player. "Therefore, I had to let go and take some risks; be spontaneous and not be afraid to make mistakes." Wow! What words of wisdom for us all. None of us will ever be perfect, yet how many of us thwart our own talents by failing to begin out of the fear we won't be perfect.

Are you trapped in life or business because you're afraid of missing the mark of perfection? Maybe you have great ideas for moving your company forward but hold back because you're afraid of looking foolish. You have your own business and know that giving presentations would be a powerful marketing tool, but because you're afraid you won't be perfect the first time out you avoid situations where you might have the opportunity to speak. Unfortunately you miss out on many powerful marketing opportunities as a result.

The perfection trap is also one of the biggest causes of unnecessary stress (and who needs more of that!), according to the book Stress Management for Dummies. The old adage "Anything worth doing is worth doing well" is often misinterpreted to mean perfectly. "Perfection is overrated. Being perfect for any longer than three minutes is very hard," writes the author.

And striving for perfection often sets up one of two stress-producing traps:

1. You spend more time on the task or activity than is necessary.
2. You avoid doing the task for fear it won't be good enough.

If the perfection trap has you imprisoned in any facet of life, make this the hour you loose the chains. You may need to give your risk-taking muscles some exercise before launching out in a major way. For starters, admit that nothing is ever perfect and now is as good a time as any to let go of that elusive standard. Send up a few trial balloons this week: risk offering your opinion in a conversation; try your hand at a hobby or craft that you've never done and just enjoy the process rather than obsessing about the result; the key is to begin and keep trying new things to get used to the idea of imperfection. Remember that Post-Its, those ubiquitious sticky note papers we have come to rely on constantly were actually the result of a formula for glue that "didn't work."

Someone has said "we are not judged by the number of times we fail, but the number of times we succeed. And the number of times we succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times we fail but keep on trying." It can be scary to dance with the possibility of failure, but remember that the possibility of success increases each time you step out in faith, knowing that regardless of the results you'll learn something in the process. And perhaps, like the Post-It, that idea you had last year or last month, with a little tweaking might work in a whole new way.

This week, give yourself permission to step out of the perfection trap...to decide that "imperfect and done" beats perfect on paper but never done by a long shot. Sure it's a risk to strike out and maybe stub your toe and miss the mark. But the opposite is a much greater tragedy, i.e. to never set out and miss the joy and learning that comes with the journey.

As for me this is the week I declare independence from the perfection trap. I invite you to come along for the ride.

Quote of the Week:

"There is no failure, only feedback."

~~C.J. Hayden, author of Get Clients Now!

"Transforming Your Potential into Performance!"
Betty Mahalik, PCC Life & Business Coach, Trainer bettym@dynamic-coaching.com www.dynamic-coaching.com	Dynamic Solutions 5240 Mustang St. Las Vegas, NV 89130 tel: 702 658-4425 fax: 702 658-5802 mobile: 702 443-0175
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