When you’re always striving for perfection, you tend to find yourself stuck. By just getting started and helping the energy move forward, you’ll find that inspiration and intuition start to work in your favor.
It’s better to get started and figure out where you’re going than to never take the journey at all.
Nothing is ever going to be perfect. And that’s actually liberating once you accept it.
Progress not perfection is the mantra that gets things done.
The Noble-Sounding Excuse
Instead of aiming for perfection, it would benefit all of us to just get started and get the energy moving. Perfection is really just a great excuse not to do things.
It sounds noble. “I want to get it right.” But what it really means is “I’m afraid to begin.”
The perfectionist isn’t dedicated to quality. They’re dedicated to avoiding the vulnerability of putting something imperfect into the world.
The Power of Getting Started
When you just get started and stop worrying about the final product, something shifts. Energy starts moving. Inspiration and intuition come a little easier. You start receiving ideas you never would have accessed while sitting on the sidelines waiting for conditions to be perfect.
Your masterpiece will be the result of lots of inspiration, not the fruits of frustration found in aiming for perfection the first time.
The first draft is never the final draft. The first attempt is never the polished version. That’s not failure. That’s the creative process working exactly as it should.
Going With the Flow
When you put perfection aside, you find yourself much more free to just go with the flow. You can respond to what’s happening rather than trying to control every variable. You can follow inspiration when it appears rather than dismissing it because it doesn’t fit your perfect plan.
When you get energy moving, you become more inspired about where you should be going long-term. The path reveals itself through movement, not through endless planning.
Try This Today
Start the project you’ve been putting off and see where it takes you. Don’t try to envision the finished product. Just begin. Write the first sentence. Make the first sketch. Take the first step.
Perfection is a myth. Nothing is ever perfect. But it’s possible to be inspired toward your vision of excellence, and that’s what getting the energy moving allows you to do.
The magic isn’t in the perfect execution. The magic is in the momentum. Once you’re moving, you can steer. But you can’t steer a parked car.
Progress not perfection. Always. The momentum you build today becomes the foundation for tomorrow.
This is shadow work in action.
If you’re ready to process what’s been running your life, explore the Shadow Work practices.