Power of Being an Imperfectionist

July 20, 2018

By Lorie Pope

Imperfectionist… the word leapt out at me in an article, and tugged at my heart. It intrigued and yet resonated within me. That’s it… There’s my answer!

Over the past year, I found myself battling procrastination, feeling overwhelmed, loss of a sense of joy in life and dreading certain tasks/responsibilities at work. I still loved what I did each day at Nexus, a consulting company my life partner Bob and I co-founded, but it was hard to feel like things were flowing as they had before.

Ironically enough, one of the areas it also showed up for me was procrastination on starting to write a blog for the purpose of sharing “Leadership Insights from the Heart” with others also on the journey of life. Thoughts of “What if it isn’t perfect enough?” And on and on. I must have written a hundred blogs in my head.

So, when I saw the word “Imperfectionist”, it was like a lightbulb went off. The ‘aha’ moment that my mindset had switched back to “Perfectionism” in certain areas. That old way of thinking was keeping me preoccupied more with self-doubt, instead of really living today by being present. It was a joy-stealer.

The old unwanted mindset of Perfectionism was performance-based living with heavy emphasis on doing it right at all costs towards unattainable goals. Isn’t that a mouthful! And depressing? It’s reactionary and cautiously holding back with self-doubt. Focuses on results…and can’t seem to take the next step out of paralysis of details. “Should, must, have to” are signs that Obligation living has aligned itself with the Perfectionism, making it even more difficult. Procrastination rules out of fear.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Imperfection finds value in the journey, being willing to make a mistake in order to learn, and fearless living. Imperfection thrives on being empowered and take action. Takes the next step. Gets it done. Maybe not perfectly…but isn’t that part of learning? It finds freedom to say “I choose to, I get to, I want to” in daily living. It’s growth mindset. Living by choice, it changes the way we look at life and keeps us fully present in the moment.

Immediately after having the “aha’ moment, a sense of lightness came to my heart and with that a sense of empowerment. Action steps came quickly. With joy. Well, still some challenges to beat and remind myself that Perfect doesn’t exist. I’d beat it in the past, but it’s still a daily choice. What better topic than to make it part of a first blog?

These two different phrases sum it up as reminders:

• Do I play to win? Or play not to lose?
• ‘Playing to Win’ means going out to win whole-heartedly, and not holding back in life. Focusing on learning, growing and living right now with joy in excellence.
• ‘Playing Not to Lose’ evokes the picture of holding back in life with all emphasis on don’t make a mistake. Being more on the fringes of life…always intending to really start living. But when?

Remember back to the days as a child coloring a picture? At the back of my mind there were the established rules: “Don’t color outside of the lines. Bad. Must be perfect.” However, I was very fortunate as a child to have a Mom who grew up in the Depression Era, and is an artist.

She told us kids many times “Make lemonade out of lemons”. In other words, there are tremendous opportunities in life that come in the form of lemons. Find a way to make lemonade out of it. Coloring outside of the lines? Recognize the opportunity. Add a hat to a monkey? Big ears to a canary?

What are your tough challenges to resolve in the workplace or personal life? Be creative. Take the next step. Learn. Focus on going forward. Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it!

Guaranteed…this blog is imperfect. Enjoy the journey and celebrate life, victories and accomplishments.