One of my mentors has said to me numerous times, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly to start.” Now normally I would not recommend anyone do anything “poorly,” but there are reasons why you can (and should) sacrifice quality in exchange for getting things done.
For many years I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to maintain high standards for GlitterBug and my other company (yes, we actually run TWO companies out of our office). It’s always been important to me to maintain a professional image, one that people would respect.
Then a couple of years ago I went to a seminar that really changed my whole outlook. He taught me that I was actually achieving just the opposite. I was getting in my own way! I was so caught up in “looking professional” that I was missing the most important parts of connecting with my audience – you (our amazing customer!), and our Gold Buyers.
I started looking at both my businesses from a different perspective. I realized people don’t want to do business with another business, they want to do business with PEOPLE. Real people that share, express emotion, and reach out to others. As a consumer and customer, that’s who I connect with. Personally, I like to support the smaller to mid-size firms that are really passionate about what they do and are trying to make a difference in this world. That’s who I “connect” with.
And people are human, right? They make mistakes…I make mistakes. But at least we TRY. Unfortunately, most people won’t step up to the plate to even get that far. I saw that I had to give myself permission to practice a lot of the new techniques I was learning. I wasn’t going to get good in a day, or even a few days. Honing the skills would definitely take time, but the first step was forcing myself out of my old comfort zone and be willing to look a little foolish. (I’m a recovering perfectionist, so hopefully not TOO foolish!)
Here are a few examples that illustrate what I’m talking about
- I just sent out an email out to you (along with thousands of our customers) and didn’t catch a typo right at the very top, in the first 3 words. That may not sound horrible to the non-perfectionists reading this, but if you are from my same tribe, you can imagine how mortified I was. Ugh! Can you spell u-n-p-r-o-f-e-s-s-i-o-n-a-l?
But what is most important here? That I made a teeny boo-boo, or that I took time to write an email from my heart to yours? That I shared something that I thought might be helpful to you that day? A couple of people emailed me to make me aware of my error, but instead of taking it personally, I looked on it as an opportunity to connect with them and send them a special personal note. And the fact is that I appreciated them reaching back out to ME. Just their response alone made me feel good (thank you!). - A few months ago I sent out another email to our entire customer database for my other company, and literally within 5 seconds after I pushed the GO button, I realized I didn’t even put my name anywhere on it or tell them who I was! Not only that, I didn’t even give them a way to contact me. It was a long heartfelt message and…I’m such a dork, right?
But again, I just sent out a follow up email using humor to poke a little fun at myself. I looked upon it not as a disaster, but a chance to show them I can be fun, and funny (okay, I’m still trying!). - I had just joined a mastermind group with a small group of business owners. In a mastermind group, you are expected to give just as much as you get. Meaning, you help others with ideas for their business, and they in turn will help you when it’s your turn. Well let me tell you, I’m a pretty good talker! But during our sessions…I didn’t say a word. Why? Because, to be quite frank, I was afraid of saying something dumb or looking stupid.When I recognized what was happening, I felt even more stupid because here these people were helping me, and here I was giving them nothing in return. So I bowed to the perfectionism God and asked permission to stray from his (or her) guidance and break new ground. Now I feel really good about what I give to my group, and I’ve noticed this alone allows me to be more receptive when it’s my turn to receive assistance with my business challenges.
To all my perfectionist brothers and sisters – our struggle is a daily one I will admit. But let’s join hands together in a quest to put our facades, our harsh and lofty demands (of ourselves and others), our need for control, our fear of failure, and our sometimes obsessive behaviors behind us. There is so much we can do in this world if we will only get out of our own way.
