I have a confession to make. I’ve been procrastinating.

I realized that sometimes, I can’t tell the difference between delaying to take action because I feel I am just being thorough and careful or if I’m being held back by my perfectionism and fears.

See, I’ve been so consumed with trying to figure out the perfect thing to say, at the perfect time and the perfect way. Then I run into all of the “what if” scenarios.

But I have no excuses, other than the fact that I was paralyzed with fear of failure, that I decided to do nothing at all.

Yes, you got me!  BUSTED!

busted

Thanks to some tough love and some guidance, I was able to see that I needed to work through my perfectionism and take imperfect action.

I have been resisting taking imperfect action because I have very high standards in the quality of content and work I want to deliver to you. (I’m sure you can relate!)

But when I learned about what taking imperfect action meant,
I realized how I got it all wrong!

 

Here’s what I thought it meant:

Being reckless.

Making impulsive and reactive decisions.

Half-assing a project.

Not aiming for success.

And here’s what I learned it REALLY means:

Taking a leap of faith.

Having belief in myself.

Taking reasonable action.

Taking what I know and have now and run with it.

Learn along the way.

 

In a nutshell, it’s about moving past the scary unknown territory and move ahead, one step at a time.

And it’s better to take small steps towards your goals than nothing at all. Let’s think about it- Zero vs. 20%… Ummm, I’ll take that 20%, Thanks!

Doesn’t that sound MUCH feasible? Did you feel your load get lighter a bit? That happened to me too!

After learning from this experience, I realized that I can keep taking imperfect action if I just think about my goals and how important they are to me.

 

And because sharing is caring, here are some steps you can take so you too, can gracefully take imperfect action:

Step 1: Identify what you are feeling stuck about.

Step 2: What are 1-3 ways you can move forward, even if you don’t have all the pieces together?

Step 3: Choose one of those 3 ways that you are willing to take action on now.

Step 4: What are resources and information do you need that will give you more confidence to take the next step?

Step 5: What imperfect action will you take next?

Step 6: Repeat Step 4 and 5 until your goal is accomplished!

 

I hope this will help empower you to take action just like it did for me! Even if it’s one baby-step at a time.

And let’s also not forget that fear is our friend. We can use fear as our guidance to lead us down the path we’re meant to explore. Just take it from The War Of Art author (and resistance expert), Steven Pressfield:

“Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.” 

 

So let’s celebrate resistance and fear! It means you (and I) are on the right path! Might as well have fun along the way right?

Even if we stumble here and there.

stumble

So what do you feel stuck about at this moment and what baby step can you take to work towards that goal?

I’d love to hear from you below in the comment section!

To your captivating online presence,
Donna, The Essence Muse