Something about the way I was raised caused me to seek perfection. Or maybe I was just born that way. Whatever the reason, I've always struggled with the idea that anything I created had to be perfect or it was not good enough.
This belief held me back for way too long. And it is only now, in my early forties, that I am finally starting to recognise that perfection does not exist.
And if I am ever going to get close to creating anything that appears "perfect" (because it is so darn good) it's only going to be the result of practise, practise, practise.
And not only practise but iterating or improving each time I practise whatever the skill is.
Somehow I think the goal needs to be to work towards the idea of perfection, joyously, persistently improving things along the way, all the while knowing that perfection is unattainable.
When Joan created this week's prompt about this topic in the Ladies of Hive Community, she got me thinking. I'll share the prompt here so you can follow along with me:
Successful women understand that perfection isn’t the goal — progress is. What steps are you personally taking to progress in 2025? Describe the situation, reasoning, and how you intend to set plans into motion.
There are many, many things I'm working on in 2025. Finally, released of the deep need to be perfect I've been working on this idea of "progress" for a while now.
I don't know exactly when this paradigm of needing to be perfect began to lose its grip on me but at some point in the last year, it suddenly started to become easier to just gently, steadily improve on any 'thing' that was important to me.
I'm sure it was the cumulative effect of doing so much trauma resolution work; I no longer being 'not good enough' as much as I once did. And now there is space. There is space to focus on growing, stretching, creating, building, making with a playful, messy way without worrying about "colouring outside the lines".
So, this year, I'm actively working on improving several things concurrently. I'm learning about how to get healthier from several different angles (mental, physical, relational, spiritual, energetic, and maybe more ways I can't think how to express right now).
I'm making progress to improve my finances through learning from people who have and make far more money than me (but who still display the behaviours of kind, caring, ethical humans).
I'm focused on learning new business skills so I can take my business to the next level, including things like how to build a brand new website, how to write more effective sales copy, how to write mini books on the topic I teach the most (Human Design), and so much more.
I'm also endlessly improving my craft as a coach and space holder for other people as I help them move through sometimes heavy or challenging 'stuff'.
I know there's more that I'm working on improving this year but this post is long enough already :P So let me wrap up by coming back to the part of the Joan's prompt I don't know that I've fully addressed:
Describe the situation, reasoning, and how you intend to set plans into motion.
The situation is that my health, my finances and my business are not where I would like them. They're okay but they have a lot of room for improvement. And I know, by letting go even more of the goal of 'perfection' I free up so much energy to focus on making progress instead.
So, between having clear outcomes that I'm working towards in each of these areas, the use of a daily habit tracker to motivate me to do the important things every day most days and continuing to 'watch' my own patterns of behaviours and 'listen' to my unconscious beliefs as they come out of my mouth, I know I'll be able to move forward on all the things one step at a time.
And if I've learned anything in the last 12 months that I would wish to share with any woman (or... human) it's that as long as you have:
- A clear goal, and
- Keep taking one step at a time consistently towards that goal
you'll probably get there faster than you were expecting.
Are you a woman? Do you want to write your own post about becoming successful through mindful progress? Check out the Ladies of Hive Community Contest post here for all the details!
Not a woman but know some other women on Hive who you'd like to support? Tag them in a comment here so they can see this post and have the option to participate if they wish.
We generally tend to be way too hard on ourselves when we're still very young, but slowly learn that we are human and will make mistakes, but that it's ok.
One step at a time, especially when the going gets tough, as long as we focus on that goal.
Have a great Saturday @consciouscat 🤗
Thanks, Lizelle! I hope you've been well =) !LUV
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Striking that everyday is a sign f letting go of perfection for progress. 😀
I have been a victim of perfectionism for a long time. Though I have worked on getting rid of this trait but it is still there and I need to work on the attitude more.
I understand pretty well that a desire to be perfect stunts our growth and makes us dissatisfied. It is a hinderance on our way to unleash our true potential. It inherenly accompanies fear with it. Nonetheless, it is quite a task to get rid of it 🙃
These are the words of deep wisdom. A strive for working towards perfection is a thing that motivates us to improve. At the same time knowing that perfection is unattainable makes us able to appreciate the improvement we have attained and gives us the opportunity to avail the space for greater improvement.
A precise and concise advice. I think that's what my unconscious has been trying to teach me these days without me figuring out how to understand it.
Thanks for this marvellous piece, @consciouscat .
Long time. How have you been, sister?
Hi @amberkashif!!!! So nice to see you pop in here. I had been missing you and went looking for posts from you a week or two ago and couldn't find anything recent (?)
So, I'm SO glad you're here. Hi!!!
Thanks for the kid words, sister. I appreciate them a lot.
Gosh, these perfectionist tendencies are... hmmm... Very counter-productive!!!
Glad this was the LOH prompt as I'm sure it's got lots of people thinking about this important idea of progress over perfection. At least, I hope so.
!LUV !HUG
I had been very busy during he last few months. There was my brother's weddig and I had a tough facing illnesses in the family. Then, you know, pauses turn into procrastination 😒.
I am active for the last couple of weeks though
Thanks for checking on me 💖💖💖
!HUG Many, many hugs!
!HUG you back with So much !LUV
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I like that you're also looking to work on getting more healthier this year... like the popular saying "health is wealth" it is such a no brainer to keep fit, eat healthy foods and try to stay healthy.
Totally agree! Been working on my health for about 15 years but feel like I have some new information to help me make some breakthroughs this year!
!PIZZA
I love how you are able to identify those things that you want to improve on.
Wow, you've got a lot going on in 2025! It's awesome that you're shifting from perfection to progress. Letting go of that need for perfection can be so freeing, and it sounds like it's opening up new possibilities for you.
Focusing on improving your health from all angles—mental, physical, relational, spiritual, and energetic—is super smart. Learning from people who excel in these areas and embody kindness and ethics is such a great approach.
It's exciting that you're diving into new business skills, like building a website, writing effective sales copy, and creating mini books on Human Design. These will definitely help take your business to the next level.
Your dedication to constantly improving as a coach and helping others navigate their challenges is inspiring. You're making steady progress in so many areas, and it's clear that you're on an amazing journey.
Keep doing what you're doing and enjoy the ride, sis. You're doing fantastic! 😊🌟💪
!LADY
Thank you @silversaver888!! !LUV
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Being a perfectionist is hard because we can't just be perfect! I know because I tend to be of that mindset as is my husband. You can imagine how that might go sometimes, lol!
Learning to let go and just do your best; improve on what you desire to improve on with the understanding it might never be perfect-and that's okay!
Thanks for sharing; have a lovely day!
<Being a perfectionist is hard because we can't just be perfect! I know because I tend to be of that mindset as is my husband. You can imagine how that might go sometimes, lol!
!LOL
I can only imagine :P
🤣 🤗💜🌹 !LADY
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Once we change our mindset of perfection, progress is easier for some reason to attain plans set out. Great to hear change in attitude is propelling you forward.
!LUV
!LADY
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