"Don't wait for something big to occur. Start where you are, with what you have, and that will always lead you into something greater." ~Mary Manin Morrissey
For years I was the Queen of Gettin' Ready to Get Ready. I had lots of ideas for projects and adventures, but I was paralyzed by the fear that I didn't know enough yet or wasn't good enough yet and I knew that I would never be able to achieve anything as perfect as my grand vision. So I settled for the safety of mediocrity and always promised myself that I'd get to whatever I was putting off as soon as I was well prepared. Perfectionism breeds procrastination.
I began taking little risks and finding that I knew more than I thought I did, I definitely had some strengths and sometimes I even created some pretty good products. Regardless the outcome, the world did not end and mistakes often presented unexpected ideas and opportunities. I'm not completely cured of perfectionism or procrastination, but I'm taking even bigger risks these days and trusting that if I just keep making the effort and following the path that continually unfolds before me as a result, great things will come.
What is something you've long wanted to achieve? How can you start today right where you are and take one small step toward that vision or goal? What would happen if you let go of the idea of perfection?
Procrastination is a family curse! I have a diary given to my grandfather from his father in 1906 and he wrote on the front cover "Procrastination is the thief of time". He must have procrastinated and not written every day because it is mostly blank(He would have been 7 years old). And doing something when we got "a round tuit" was a family joke. I was disappointed when my uncle gave me a round tuit for my birthday one year because I couldn't use that excuse any more! So I think I shall try to give up on the idea of perfection and make a schedule of small steps or small increments of time to work on the project(s).
ReplyDeleteI think family curses can psych us out. Ours is that we're bad at math, and so I am. However, when it's taught in a way that makes sense to me and I'm not continually telling myself I'm doomed 'cause we're all bad at math, I do alright. Let go of the curse and ask yourself, "What's behind the procrastination? What am I so afraid of?"
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