Let Go of Perfection

My friend, April Shprintz. More at DrivenOutcomes.com.

A few years ago, I was teaching a multi-day speechwriting seminar at Georgetown. One of the attendees flew in from Florida, a business consultant who wanted to do more public speaking. She buttonholed me at the end to thank me for what she'd learned--that always feels good. As further thanks she offered me the program she provides for her own clients. Fast forward: She taught me so much that my professional life was truly transformed in terms of order, efficiency, satisfaction, and income. It was amazing, because my career covers a lot of territory.

Anyway, one moment stands out in the context of the H&N blog. I'd spent weeks preparing an online education site. I didn't think I had enough content so I kept putting off the launch.

"Put it up today," April said.

"I don't have enough stuff," I told her.

"Do it anyway," she said. "It doesn't have to be perfect. Get it out there to begin with and keep going."

It doesn't have to be perfect. Truer words never spoken. I went live that afternoon, sent my opening emails, and she was right. By making perfect the goal instead of "good enough," I was denying myself opportunity and satisfaction.

Dopamine makes us chase some idealized future-thing that is rarely as "perfect" as we imagine it will be. So live in the moment--live in the "good enough." Turns out that's a lot happier way to live. (More successful, too.)