Have you ever heard that you only have once chance to make a great first impression?
Say something stupid in a job interview? No way they're gonna hire you. Look at your watch wrong and totally miss the movie? That guy's never gonna call you again. Show up to a party waaaaay under-dressed? Those people are never going to be your friends.
We get so many messages about making sure everything is perfect before we present ourselves to the world. And then it's ingrained in us that perfection trumps everything.
I can't wear that dress until I lose 30 pounds.
I can't record a video because I say “like” and “so, okay” and “ummm” to much.
I can't show my website to anyone because my logo still looks blurry. I can't get this sidebar quite right. This spacing is off. I'm not in love with my header.
So what do we do? Nothing. We do nothing. We stick to the things that are perfect and tell ourselves lies that keep us in our comfort zone.
I look better in jeans.
I can record a video, I'll just spend 15 hours editing out all the parts that aren't perfect.
If it takes me this long to get my website looking exactly how I want, how am I ever going to teach people to do it?
I mean, that's what I think people would think… I'm perfect and confident and would never have any of those thoughts… NOT!
Perfectionism keeps us from taking real, meaningful action.
Sure, we're working. Editing videos for 15 hours is a lot of work. Tweaking images and fonts and colors and spacing is intense and takes time.
But we are getting absolutely nothing in return for that time. No brilliant ideas forming. No feedback to tell us if we're heading in the right direction. No relationships started.
So I challenge you that for every perfectionist-y thing you do, do 2 other things that will grow your business.
Because spending 15 hours editing video really doesn't matter at the end of the day.I could have My friend could have spent that time cultivating relationships on Facebook, curating content for her Twitter feed, writing blog posts and tutorials.
Chasing perfection is a waste of time.
That being said, if your graphics look shitty and you don't feel good about your site, your confidence may take a hit and you'll have a harder time reaching out to people.
If you're to the point where you're spinning your wheels on your design – or your copy for that matter, it might be time to get some help. My absolute FAVORITE resource that helped me find my voice and develop my brand is called Brandgasm 101. It's a self-paced online course that teaches you copywriting and design. WP+BFF would not be where it is if not for stumbling upon Brandgasm 101 while wasting time on Buzzfeed…
I want you to have an amazing website that you can be proud of. I don't want you to get trapped in the maze of perfectionism. It has nothing to do with your website…
