Survive the perfection phobia: Learn from the creators of content
We've likely all had a friend who could not be able to finish their project because they felt every aspect needed to be perfect. But, perfection doesn't exist (truly). As a result, projects are left unfinished in their computers or their studio. Many might think that it a waste of time since there is no way to enjoy what the creator created.
Perfectionionism is a significant obstruction for both entrepreneurs and creators. According to a study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, perfectionism is linked to "feelings of failure, guilt and indecision, as well as procrastination, humiliation, and feelings of low self-esteem." This is why, people struggle to get ahead with their task or project - this is called the perfection paralysis.
How do you overcome this?
The process of letting go of perfection and revising to a more actual standard of what can be shared is challenging. In order to help you achieve this we asked two expert experts to share their experiences of conquering the fear of perfection during a virtual summit held in the month of August in 2022. Watch the video here:
Before we dive in to the secrets, get to know our panelists:
Steve Harris is a global business coach who helps high-performance organisations and individuals to bridge the gap between their potential and performance. Self described as "ruthless" and "ruthless," he's been working with more than 1,000 clients, pushing them to do the effort and get outstanding outcomes.
Grace Abbott is a multi-hyphenate creative strategist and brand building expert who is a specialist in building businesses in the area of content and commerce. The last five years of her career have been dedicated to developing To Be Magnetic - turning what was once a wellness blog into an ever-growing membership platform- the #1 destination for Neural Manifestation.
Responses have been edited for simplicity.
What is the reason people are obsessed with perfection?
How have you overcome the perfection phobia?
Digital products don't need to be flawless, but they still need to reach an acceptable level to sell. How can a creator reset their expectations to the standard of excellence that's going to serve their business and their brand?
Grace says:
"Consider - does it reflect the level of content and education that you're going to provide? Does it convey a convincing tale of what you have to provide? And then of course you need to ensure that you're editing your copy, that you have high-quality audio and video. Everything that is likely to help make the user experience as high quality as possible.
It's more important than anything, just going to the next level. It doesn't require a really high end production team to make an excellent video. You can make a great video with your iPhone. Be sure to ensure that there's no background and the audio quality is good.
What's the first step a knowledge creator can do to assist them in creating the first digital product?
Steve says:
"I discover that lots of entrepreneurs get caught up with their message and they're not considering the market. It is important to ask yourself: is there a market for my message? Then, how can you identify if there's an audience for your message?
It's quite simple to ask certain questions like:
- What's the issue that my message or my passion can solve?
- Who's the cause and needs this solution?
- Who are the people are in your service?
- How are you going to locate these?
- What will they do to be able to
- How much money do they have?
- Why should someone come to you instead of the millions of alternatives which are available?