Perfectionism & What You Can Do About It
"You don't have to get it right. You just have to get it going."
-- Mike Litman
The quote above has to be the most important idea for many a
business person. It's the antidote to the dread perfectionitis
disease that paralyzes you.
Perfectionitis is born of a perfectly reasonable impulse: to
produce a quality product.
But it is the "impossible standard" aspect of it that makes it
dysfunctional. It is the kind of impulse that makes a parent say
"No one's good enough for my Billy" (or Susie). And because
getting it perfect is nearly impossible, making public your
effort is well nigh impossible.
One of Dan Kennedy's lessons is that half of winning is just
showing up! So he and Litman are on the same page.
To have a newsletter and not write to your subscribers is to not
show up!
What are the problems with not showing up?
- No one remembers you. Harsh but true. Oh, you may be a memory
in passing, but people have their own lives. You are a blip on
most people's screens. The only way to become a bigger blip is to
show up.
- You miss opportunities to announce and to sell. Does this
really need any elaboration? Didn't think so. :)
- You miss opportunities to BUILD on previous opportunities, and
so forth.
- You miss chances to establish yourself as an expert in your
chosen field.
Besides the inverse of the above, what ADVANTAGES arise from just
showing up and communicating to your list?
- You become more comfortable in communicating.
- You build momentum, so that coming up with ideas to communicate
is easier.
- You have opportunities to answer the question, "What have you
done for me lately."
- You have a store of information which you can archive and then
refer your subscribers. For example, you can write, "As I
mentioned two weeks ago (url), you can enhance your writing
ability by..." And on the archive page, you can advertise. :)
Yes, the tragedies of not showing up are tremendous.
Perfectionism can literally KILL your business!
And the benefits of "just showing up" are equally huge.
Moreover, they can cascade and reinforce each other.
So how can you move yourself to "just show up?"
1 - Use Litman's comment at the top of this article to remind
yourself that perfectionism is NOT a good pole star.
2 - Write short pieces. You don't have to write Moby Dick. Short
pieces that deliver real information that they can use is what
people mainly want.
3 - Give yourself a schedule. And stick to it.
4 - Ask for feedback on what you write. You may find that people
like it, even though it's not "perfect." And if they criticize,
you'll have information on how to improve.
Do these things and perfectionitis will be a thing of the past,
for you will more consistently show up.
Author
George Whitecraft
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/tbp/The_Business_Professional.html
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/pba/index.htm
posted by George @ 10:51 AM
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