Four Strategies for Taking Imperfect Action
By guest author, Lauren St. Germain
May 3, 2023
The number one topic that my clients ask me to talk about is this: perfectionism.
More specifically, they want to know what they can do to overcome it, and how can they prevent it from holding them back.
As a coach, I’m tempted to say things you and I have heard time and time again. Things like:
“Nobody is perfect!”
“Choose progress over perfection!”
“Perfect is the enemy of good!”
But advice like this falls short. Why? Because despite a deep knowing that striving for perfection is holding you back, you are still likely thinking that someday you’ll be able to achieve it. That *this* will be the time you finally reach that elusive end goal. And the reality is, perfectionism is an unattainable goal.
So what can you do to actually push past perfectionism and take imperfect action instead? Below are my four simple and practical strategies.
1 - Get Curious About Your Thoughts
My very first therapist taught me something that I’ll never forget: the more we try to push certain thoughts away, the more our minds want to think them. So, if I told you, no matter what you do right now, do not think about pizza! Do NOT think about the tangy sauce, crispy crust and melty cheese! Your mind will have a really hard time NOT thinking about pizza (even writing those words, I’m over here thinking about…pizza).
This same principle applies to thoughts about perfectionism and your perceived need to be perfect. Once it pops into your mind, you can’t seem to shake it! So let’s try something new, shall we?
The next time you find yourself in pursuit of perfection, instead of trying to fight it and push those thoughts away, could you instead get curious? Acknowledge your inner perfectionist and wonder: “Hm, what is this telling me?” Stay aware of the voice and then kindly ask it to leave the building so that you can show up as the incredibly imperfect human that you are.
2 - Enjoy the Process
Our society puts a significant amount of emphasis on the outcome. So of course, as a high-achieving leader, you are going to work to make sure that everything is executed just right. But what if you took a step back and enjoyed the process instead of being so focused on the end result?
Let’s use the example of wanting to become a person who incorporates more movement into their daily life. You set a goal to make it to the gym three times a week, but when you can’t hit that goal in the first week (said differently, you don’t execute on your goals perfectly), you’re sad, frustrated and more inclined to give up.
In this situation, I’d suggest this: focus on the joy of moving your body. Let’s learn to enjoy the process instead of only focusing on the outcome. This is how we kick perfectionism to the curb and joyfully make progress towards our goals.
3 - Make a New Commitment
The perfectionist voice inside your mind is powerful because you give it power. And in doing so, you’re essentially saying “I’m committed to doing this perfectly and I’m out here seeking perfection at all costs.”
What if instead you committed to something else? To try something new? To show up authentically? To start small so it builds your confidence?
If you are reading this article, you’re likely someone who is invested in their personal and professional growth. So, what if instead of focusing so much on being perfect, you simply focused on the benefits of trying?
4 - Strive for Excellence
In Brené Brown’s book, Daring Greatly, (and in this video clip with Oprah), she teaches the important difference between striving for perfection and striving for excellence.
When you strive for perfection, she says, you are attempting to protect yourself from the criticism or ridicule of others. This is unhealthy striving, because your focus is extrinsically motivated and highlights that you are working to show up in a way that attempts to control what others think of you.
Healthy striving, on the other hand, focuses more on our internal desire to do our best work in the world. So instead of striving for perfection, can you shift your focus to striving for excellence? Try it and watch how it enables you to take imperfection action while still making an impact.
. . .
As I sit here writing this month’s Coaching Nugget, I am committed to giving perfectionism less power and instead sharing my best tools with you so that you can go out and achieve big things in this world.
Will implementing the four strategies above mean that your inner perfectionist will stay away forever? Unfortunately, that’s not likely. That perfectionist voice may continue to creep up on you from time to time.
But what matters is not that you never ever feel the urge to strive for perfection again, but rather - that you show up and take action as the perfectly imperfect human that you are.
Because despite what that inner voice is telling you, I want you to know that you don’t need the perfection you seek to do incredibly impactful things in this world.
About the Author
Lauren St. Germain is a corporate leader turned life coach who specializes in helping high-achieving women design a life and career that honors their ambition without sacrificing their well-being. She is the founder of a community called Whole Human Achiever™ whose mission is to support women in embracing who they are and what they do. Outside of work, Lauren is new Mama and proud UConn grad (Go Huskies!) and has a deep love for eating and baking sourdough bread. Learn more about Lauren at www.lsgcoaching.com, connect with her on LinkedIn or join the Whole Human Achiever™ community.
