Balancing Perfection and Progress

As entrepreneurs, everyone at Buckeye Better Business Consulting can agree that we are driven, passionate, and always aim as high as possible. Perfectionism can be beneficial when we push ourselves to give 110% every time. Although, perfectionism can sometimes act as a black hole when the bar seems impossible to reach. It’s easy to continue raising your standards higher and higher instead of focusing on doing the best you can do. We’re here to help advise on how to stop the black hole in its tracks.

Set Obtainable Goals

We expect the absolute best possible outcomes in both business and life in this day and age. That’s why entrepreneurs are continually developing. This doesn’t mean you have to be perfect to achieve the goals you have in place. Instead of wasting your time and energy on the impossible, establish realistic goals you know you are capable of achieving.

Start by taking the time to examine what contributed to your past successes and failures, and have a plan to bounce back if you experience any setbacks. Then, limit yourself to 1–3 goals at a time to ensure full achievement before moving forward. If one of these goals is excessively more extensive than the others, break it up into more manageable, smaller goals.

Accept Feedback

If you want to be successful in life, embracing feedback is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Being a perfectionist doesn’t always allow this to be an easy task, but when you accept the information as a tool to keep you learning and growing, you’ll find that acceptance is the only answer.

As this might come off as a “hard pill to swallow,” the first step is not to take constructive criticism personally. While this is a normal reaction, it’s essential to realize that others aren’t attacking you; in reality, they want you to succeed. Try reverting from the defense and consider whether or not the proposed improvements are in your control.

Temporarily Remove Yourself From Competition

If you consider yourself a perfectionist, there’s a good chance you are also extremely competitive, just like most of our team here atBuckeye Better Business Consulting. While this can be a healthy way to have fun with your co-workers, it can damage your mental health if winning always seems out of reach. If you’re struggling with perfectionism, the question is — why make it harder than it has to be with a competitive mindset?

Start by making a few boundaries for yourself. Instead of comparing yourself to other team members during the week, try to become better than what you were the week prior. Once you start feeling more secure professionally, create a timeline with boundaries or rules for when you allow yourself to jump back into the group competitions. The key is to be self-aware enough to understand when taking a competitive break is necessary.

The crew at Buckeye Better Business Consulting understands both the pros and cons of being perfectionists. Understanding that you can control how it affects your overall long-term development is extremely critical on the road to entrepreneurialism. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a step back and repeat these action items to get back on track. Protect your mental health while you’re developing into the best version of yourself. For more business tips like these, we invite you to connect with us on LinkedIn!

Originally published at http://buckeyebetterbusinessconsulting.wordpress.com on June 17, 2022.