Have you ever found yourself wanting to do something but holding back until you are sure you will get it right?
I took IMPERFECT ACTION this week–making art on Facebook Live. I didn’t have a polished script, or even a firm plan. But I knew that I had to act, and take advantage of the fresh excitement of making that book art with an audience.
My main lesson with IMPERFECT ACTION happened a few years ago with creating a website. I knew it was the next move, but month after month it wasn’t done because I wanted to be sure to have all the ducks in a row and have it all just right before going live.
Then I joined a mastermind group with business coach, Theresa Ceniccola and that turned my paradigm upside down. The clear message was “Act, even if you have to act imperfectly.”
So I charged ahead and built that website, then revised it. And revised it again. And then again. It will always be a work in progress, which is why it was so incredibly important to ACT without waiting for it to be perfect!
This lesson of TAKING IMPERFECT ACTION has been serving me again and again throughout the years.
When it comes to creativity and art—imperfect action is truly the first step toward a grand masterpiece! I have not met a single artist who can say that a project went from-idea-to-art-show without several bumps along the way. Not one.
Even if you are not an “artist” per se, there are still areas of life that this applies to.
Parenting is the perfect example of taking imperfect action. If we waited until we had the perfect response to our children’s actions, we would all be absentee parents.
In your home–another example. If you waited to decorate your house until you had a full, perfect plan worked out, your home would have no personal touch at all. The walls would be empty and there would be no cute throw pillow on the couch.
What about your professional life? What project or goal have you been sitting on because you just haven’t worked out all the details yet?
Perfection is the best friend of procrastination. Kick it in the butt and make a decision to take some action, some IMPERFECT action, and get started toward moving that goal on your “done” list.
What do you think?
