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Perfectionism is a plague, introducing Johnny Neverstart!

NMdad

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Completely agree that action beats analysis. (Speaking as someone who complex-ifies things...).

However, I disagree--only slightly--about Johnny Neverstarts: I think the Johnny Neverstarts might actually want help--or at least the event-based outcome (e.g., $ dollars per month or year). Then, when everyone here jumps on them about process & just starting SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE, it's overwhelming. Like Johnny Neverstart wants a syllabus--week 1: read chapter 1, etc. Someone to give them the exact roadmap that has 100% chance of success.

Regardless, action is the antidote.
 
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whiz

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However, I disagree--only slightly--about Johnny Neverstarts: I think the Johnny Neverstarts might actually want help--or at least the event-based outcome (e.g., $ dollars per month or year). Then, when everyone here jumps on them about process & just starting SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE, it's overwhelming. Like Johnny Neverstart wants a syllabus--week 1: read chapter 1, etc. Someone to give them the exact roadmap that has 100% chance of success.

You're right.

The process becomes overwhelming to them because it's not like how their "consumer / employee / student" brain was trained.

You don't really experience many things that are like entrepreneurship unless you grew up with a relative in business or you worked for your dad etc.

A lot of us are coming from backgrounds with less-than-ideal guidance, not-too-strong father figures etc

So a lot of us don't have the parts required to accomplish these big goals - so we gotta create them within ourselves

That takes a lot of time and energy, causes a lot of anxiety etc

But this makes it even more important to recognize that climbing the mountain is just a combination of steps, one after another

Just focus on the first steps... don't look up and see the mountaintop and be like "F*ck, ill never get there - it's too high" etc

Just make sure your shoes are tied and that you aren't stepping on a hornets nest or walking into a tree lol

Otherwise you'll never make it up the mountain
 

NMdad

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Just focus on the first steps... don't look up and see the mountaintop and be like "f*ck, ill never get there - it's too high" etc
Very true. I took my 17-year-old son backpacking in the Grand Canyon a couple months ago, and he talked me into hiking out in 1 day--15+ miles, 6,000 feet elevation gain (like climbing the Empire State Building 5 times), while lugging a heavy pack. (And I'm not a runner, bicyclist, etc.). It was exhausting, but it was one step at a time. At points, we could see the top, but the last couple hours, it was dark, just hiking by headlamp--about an hour of which was steep switchbacks up a near-vertical cliff, sometimes frigid & windy as hell.

We kept reminding ourselves we could keep going if we took a short breather here & there. And kept marveling at how much we could push ourselves--way past what we thought we could do, so long as we just kept plugging along.

Kinda like entrepreneurship:
  • One step at a time.
  • You can do more than you think you can.
  • Sometimes you're in the dark, but you only need to see your next step.
 

FreakyThomas

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Thank you for expressing simply this great point of view.
I think for most of people this is the main reason why we don't do much.

It's also a problem of uncertainty : people want guarantees. They don't want to put a great amount of work if it's maybe for nothing. This is my great problem, I keep looking for the perfect idea because I always get the feeling the ones I already have won't work. Your topic definitely helps by simply saying " This is not the problem. The problem is you're doing nothing. ". At least when you're failing you're learning and moving forward.

You're reminding us we just need to get started. Great articles from James Clear about it :
Why Getting Started is More Important Than Succeeding - James Clear
[URL='https://jamesclear.com/successful-people-start-before-they-feel-ready']Habits of Successful People: Start Before You Feel Ready - James Clear
[/URL]
Anyway, thank you +++
 
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Miorin

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The Title should be: Introducing Miorin

Called out my BS. I'm going to launch tomorrow.

I really need to get less stuck on the irrelevant details.
 

FreakyThomas

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Thank you for expressing simply this great point of view.
I think for most of people this is the main reason why we don't do much.

It's also a problem of uncertainty : people want guarantees. They don't want to put a great amount of work if it's maybe for nothing. This is my great problem, I keep looking for the perfect idea because I always get the feeling the ones I already have won't work. Your topic definitely helps by simply saying " This is not the problem. The problem is you're doing nothing. ". At least when you're failing you're learning and moving forward.

You're reminding us we just need to get started. Great articles from James Clear about it :
Why Getting Started is More Important Than Succeeding - James Clear
[URL='https://jamesclear.com/successful-people-start-before-they-feel-ready']Habits of Successful People: Start Before You Feel Ready - James Clear
[/URL]
Anyway, thank you +++
Thanks to your thread I've put online my landing page and launched an AdWords campaign, the night I posted here [emoji106]

Unfortunately I've managed to have about 20 clicks since but no one subscribed [emoji26]

But anyway thank you, now have to define the next step !

Envoyé de mon SM-G955F en utilisant Tapatalk
 

FreakyThomas

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The Title should be: Introducing Miorin

Called out my BS. I'm going to launch tomorrow.

I really need to get less stuck on the irrelevant details.
Did you launch? How did it go?

Envoyé de mon SM-G955F en utilisant Tapatalk
 
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Jonathan Hoch

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I just posted in the one liners thread about this specifically.

My step mom always said "You can't steer a parked car."

Get out there and go. Get the wheels rolling, and react when there are actual issues.

As a few have resonated already in this thread, the market will dictate if you're right or wrong, not YOU.

But as a student of copywriting, I would agree with never using "or whatever" anywhere.

It's too wishy washy.
 

yungmillionaire

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Just dropping by to say thank you for this thread.

Reading this has made me realise that I am somewhat of a perfectionist and procrastinator and have wasted unnecessary time on the minute details - be it on schoolwork before or business now.

I will execute fast, fail fast and learn fast from now on. Thanks again.
 

Mr. Bazz

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The difficult part about perfectionism is it is engrained in us from our early ages.

"Do these exact problem, study these exact words, read these pages, all to answer the problems on the test". This continues through all levels of schooling, resulting in doing whatever it takes to get the A. the perfect representation of perfections. This continues into the work-force, your creativity is capped, to some extent, because you are expected to deliver results that go with the status quo & culture of your company.
At least that is how it is to me ...

I am new to this forum. Still trying to figure out my way around and where I should focus my time and energy. I work in a corporate job. I live a lifestyle that I am content with and find happiness, but I know there is more meat on the bone. I have discovered paths to the fastlane through RE but I know there is more out there. That is why I am on TMF forum, to learn and grow.

Whiz, Thank you for the post and inspiration on this Saturday morning.
 
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Strm

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Thanks for the thread, this can be a total wake-up call for some. Sometimes it can be so hard to stop polishing each detail (when you are used to), so your words are well appreciated!

I can totally relate. When I was working as a carpenter and did much things with wood in my free time too, I was chasing perfection all the time! Specially when I was having some cool project for myself, a bed or a house for my rabbit etc. Chasing every angle, every millimeter until it was perfect in my eyes. It takes soooo much time :) (I was good too, so when there was a very accurate work to be done, I was the one who had to do it :) ) But I got carried too sometimes.

Now when I am working on my product, I still have to remind myself sometimes: "You are not the one who F*cking decides! Make it as good as you can, as fast as you can and show it to your market! Then change the F*cking thing, if needed!"
I'm getting better at this with every day :) And you are the one who I need to thank for that too!

Cheers!
 

Miorin

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[The difficult part about perfectionism is it is engrained in us from our early ages.]

That's true.

I tried every single strategy.

Mindset, overcoming my obsessive perfectionism it by force... None of them worked. I went to a psychologist, he discovered the cause but it was not enough.

Now thank god after 6 months trying to win it I am finally free. Not only of perfectionism, but most of things that was holding me back like social anxiety.

I also feel completely dumb because it was so easy.

Immense gratitude to Tyler and Julien from RSD for the Transformation Mastery program.

Dive deep into the cause of your perfectionism and let go of it.
 

Wisarut

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Many good posts here, thanks for sharing your knowledge and I hope all you guys are doing well.

"Let go of Perfectionism, it is the leap that counts"
 
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QuantumLeap

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Hehe so sorry to tell you this but some lines of business requires absolute perfection (including my own) as one mistake might kill the customer (yes seriously kill the customer)

Here is a quick mention of 3 of the lines of business which require absolute perfection
- Rock climbing tours (
- The pharmaceutical space (al though I'm aware that nobody has invented the perfect, side effect free cure for cancer/diabetis/alzheimers/dementia/all the genetic diseases that is in excistence I'm working on this)
- airline
 

Envious

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Just put the site up and try to market it and you might be surprised

I have a motto:

"Make something shitty and then just keep making it less shitty"

Just be ok with making garbage, as long as you're prepared to put in the work to increase the average quality of your output.

When I first started doing music production years ago, I had a hard time making more than 10 seconds of music because I would criticize it and get stuck over every detail.

I realized you have to be ok with making bullshit until you made "ok shit"
Then you make "ok shit" until you make "good shit"
Then you make "good shit" until you make "great shit"

There are no shortcuts

Reality knows exactly how much effort you put into something and rewards you accordingly

You will respect yourself far more for trying + no results

vs. not trying + no results

At least you'll have insights as far as why shit didn't work, etc.

If you never try, you really gain nothing. You just further push yourself into typical habits of mental slavery

I recently met James Clear at a book signing, he said exactly this. His advice was " you have to give yourself permission to put out junk at first, knowing that if you consistently put in the work, it will get better"
 

endorphins

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On the flipside, I think advice from "laymen" is some of the best advice you can get.

They aren't caught up in all the intricacies of the craft

They don't see the little details - only the big picture

When I was making music I would spend hours trying to get the exact drum tone I wanted

Then I would make sure the guitar had justtttt the right amount of reverb

Then make sure the bass had the perfect tone

Then after spending alllll these hours on my song, I'd show someone, thinking they'd be impressed with the intricacy

They usually are just like "its a good song" or "eh its not really good"

It's like how a painter will obsess over a painting for 10 years, and someone in a museum will walk past it without giving it a second thought

People don't see your work how YOU see your work

Take time to step back and just be a layman - try to view it from an average persons perspective - be realistic

Don't get caught up in the craft to the point where you miss the big picture

Changing your CTA button from "brick red" to "clay red" is probably less important than "does my copy convince the prospect?"

Worrying about Helvetica vs Proxima Nova font is probably less important than "did I address all the pain points?"

So yeah I've grown to actually really enjoy "layman" opinion - it's usually more accurate than someone immersed in the craft

This right here. This is a great post, @whiz, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

First business I launched looked really shitty. I'd be so embarrassed today if it weren't for what it became. I launched 2 weeks after the initial idea thinking "might as well get this out of the way and see if it works or not - I'll give it 45 days".

2 days later the first sales started pouring in. And each week I'd improve the website, product, and marketing. And it's been that way ever since - non stop improvement.

Had I looked at what the business is now and thought "I have to do all of this before I even launch" - I would've never started.

But today I know more about business and developing a product, and I'm more demanding of what I put out. I kinda lost that "let's do it and see how it goes" attitude.

I've been trying to figure out the tech stack for my next business longer than I've been building it, because I feel like I need to get it right. Somehow, I'm getting caught up in the intricacies of the craft even though I'm not a developer by trade.

However, all the advice I read comes from people who are. They care about millisecond improvements in a page load. They care about perfectly crafted code. The end-user? They couldn't care less.

I happen to have picked up the E-Myth again, and this is precisely what Michael Gerber talks about - you have to balance your "technician" with your "entrepreneur".

Thank you for this great nudge in the right direction.
 
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