Jay Azeltine – @Jay_Azeltine
I believe that there’s a monumental difference between striving to be great and striving to be perfect.
On the path to greatness, there will likely be a LOT of up’s and down’s. Peaks and valleys. Good times and bad times. This is an inevitable part of the journey.
Quit trying to be perfect. When we aim to be perfect we paralyze ourselves; overanalyzing every single situation. We go on the defense instead of the offense, thinking about everything that could go wrong.
We need to spend as much time as possible on the offense. Thinking productively about what we can try next and then DOING IT, instead of analyzing every component of the move and contemplating all of the potential downfalls. We overthink ourselves into submission and usually never even take action on our ideas because we get so stressed out prior to even DOING anything.
There’s a famous quote from Gary Vaynerchuk that I quite often play in my head. He says, “The fear of losing trumps the excitement of victory for so many people.”
When I first heard this quote it really hit home for me. So often I find myself spending so much energy thinking about the negatives that could result from a certain event and very little time on the potential upsides. This is a very unproductive way of thinking.
I’m what you would call an extreme stressor and overthinker. I’m constantly overthinking EVERYTHING. Stressing every little detail of every situation. Running through all of the potential outcomes in my head. Terrified of something going wrong. So worried about everything being PERFECT.
This is how I’m naturally hardwired. I’ve been this way my entire life. I certainly think that this can be utilized as a strength if managed properly, but it can also be a huge liability. I’m constantly working to use my mental energy more productively.
Before we go any further, let me clarify my point here a bit more clearly. I’m not saying that we should be jumping headfirst into anything without first taking some time to examine the situation, weighing the pros & cons. There’s a fine line between being cautious and doing your due diligence and then over analyzing every square inch of a situation. Spending countless hours stressing the potential negatives.
So often we want everything to be perfect before we take action. Here are two truths that I try to live by.
- It’s never gonna be the “right time” to make your move, you’ve just gotta MOVE
- There’s no such thing as “perfect”
How do you define perfection? It’s different for everyone and very hard to define. In reality, perfection is a socially constructed term. It doesn’t actually exist.
It’s a very relative term at the end of the day. There’s no way to truly define perfection. Therefore, we can never fully attain perfection. So why are we so worried about being ‘perfect’ all of the time?
I don’t think that we have always been this way as a society. This is total bro science, but I can’t help but think that part of the blame must be given to social media.
In today’s social media world, we’re constantly surrounded by “perfection.” Instagram is a highlight reel of our lives. We see the up’s, but very rarely do we see the down’s of everyone that we follow. Especially the celebrities.
This leads our subconscious minds to believe that we should be striving to be perfect. Physically, mentally and everything in between. Which just isn’t attainable.
I know that this article was a little all over the place, but my point here is that we need to start saying FUCK PERFECTION a little more often. Doing more and thinking less. Instead of constantly thinking about the potential downfalls, spend more time thinking about the potential triumphs of victory.
If we’re constantly paralyzed by being perfect we won’t end up doing anything at all. We’ll curl up into a ball and live in our comfort zones our entire lives. Left with the thoughts of “what if” for the rest of our days. Internally despising others that we see living out their dreams because they weren’t afraid to make mistakes along the way.
Life’s all about making mistakes and learning from them. Name one great entrepreneur that hasn’t made any massive mistakes along the way. The most successful individuals have most likely made the MOST mistakes among everyone. They’re just willing to take those L’s in order to fulfill the bigger picture.
Don’t be crippled by this fear of being perfect. Take action and figure it out as you go.
Until next time, much love.
Jay
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