Friday, April 18, 2025
HomecreativityWhy Perfection is the Enemy of Progress (And How I Beat It)

Why Perfection is the Enemy of Progress (And How I Beat It)

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I used to be obsessed with getting everything perfect. Every sentence had to be just right, or I’d throw it away. Guess what? I got nothing done. Perfection is a trap. And it’s one I almost got stuck in for good. But once I stopped chasing it, everything changed.

Perfection is a Trap

Perfection sounds great, right? We think it’s the key to success. But here’s the truth : perfection is a lie. It’s something we tell ourselves to avoid failing. But failure is where we actually grow.

When I started writing, I thought every word needed to be perfect. If it wasn’t, I’d delete it and try again. But what happened? I spent so much time trying to make everything perfect that I never actually finished anything.

Perfection Kills Creativity

I was too focused on making every sentence flawless, and it killed my creativity. I started to freeze up, not even knowing where to begin. I was editing myself before I’d even written a word. That’s not how you create.

So one day, I decided to stop worrying about being perfect. I told myself, just write. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be done.

Progress is More Important Than Perfection

Here’s how I beat perfection: I focused on making progress. Every time I wrote, I didn’t worry about getting everything right. I just wrote something. Even if it was messy, it was still progress.

With each draft, I got better. And the more I wrote, the more I realized that it’s not about perfection, it’s about moving forward.

Waiting for things to be perfect means you’ll never start. Perfection is a moving target, and you’ll never hit it. Instead, focus on progress. Just write. Make mistakes. Learn. And do it all over again. Because that’s where real growth happens.

Are you stuck trying to make everything perfect? What’s one thing you can do today without worrying about perfection? Let me know in the comments. 💬

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