I am not perfect. If you ask my wife, I may act like it sometimes. In fact, even though I know it is absurd, I may think it sometimes.
The problem with believing the lie of perfection is that it breeds procrastination. It causes me to delay putting the work out there that I know I need to be putting out there. Those delays often turn into never shipping the work at all.
Here are a few points I remember when I am trying to ignore the lie of perfection:
- Nobody is perfect. Nobody who has ever been on this earth (besides Jesus Himself) is perfect. There is no reason to try to reach utter perfection because it is a destination that will not be reached. I know some people will say that this is a dangerous mind-set to have, and it may not work for you. For me, however, I find it a necessary ingredient to ship my work.
- The goal is not finished. The other end of the perfect line is finished. I have to be careful of just pushing so hard that all I want to do is get finished. Pushing just to get finished makes me get sloppy. I do not want to ship slop.
- Awesome is where I need to be. Awesome is the point of the line where I strive to be. I know that it not perfect, but I also realize it is not just finished. It is awesome. It is something that can be appreciated by the people I am shipping my work to. It informs, inspires, and adds insight. It is the best that I have, but it is not bogged down by trying to reach perfection.
- Do NOT over think, ship. With everything above in mind I remind myself to not over think the revisions. There are times when I can spend so much time tweaking that I end up spinning my wheels only to come back to the original. When I find myself having to search for things to change, I just ship it. There are very few things in this world that can not be touched up after shipping. Chances are you will find out that the work you have already done is exactly what your audience is looking for.
Do not believe the lie of perfection. Doors that are open have a lot more people walk through them than doors that are locked.
What does the lie of perfection do to you?