How many dreams have stalled due to fear of ridicule, of starting late, of not being “good enough”? Society equates worth with perfection, but that’s not entirely true, and the collective opinions of society are like a box that keeps us confined. We often stall for perfection, but how do we approach progress in spite of imperfection?

We’re used to seeing the 100% “stage” of everything in social media. We’re only ever aware of that finished painting, not knowing how many days of procrastination the artist fought in the process. We celebrate that published book, not knowing the author’s mind was all over the place by recreating and tweaking the same thing over and over again.

We glamorize others’ current careers without realizing that many have pivoted later in life. They abandoned longtime jobs, embraced uncertainties, and sleepless nights. Only to find it was the right decision that changed their trajectories for good. Now, some of them are ready to try other things because they have realized that nothing is ever too impossible.

Creativity has no final stage. As long as you’re alive and breathing life into your craft, it’s never “done” in an ultimate sense. It will continue to evolve.

You have to strive to get out of your paralysis for perfectionism. It tricks us into thinking our work isn’t good enough. It makes us cooped up, imagining others’ future opinions. This fear of imperfection often leads to stunted creativity when it’s only ever meaningful by actually existing, and not by being flawless.

What could possibly happen when you take a leap of faith? 

At the bottom of that cliff, there will be freedom in being your own creative self, and trust that you will plant seeds of your career in an infinite room of growth and improvement. 

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Embrace your level

However, this is not an excuse to be lazy. It’s about trying to acknowledge the best version of the level of skills that you have right now. Because it’s not fair to compare your level – the one who has barely created anything or the one who’s just starting something – to somebody who’s able to talk for hours and hours on end about the craft that they’ve been doing for so many years.

Even the so-called “perfect” version of something may not appeal to everyone. You will still see haters commenting on obviously flawless celebrities; people blowing up companies’ customer service hotlines because of a flaw about who knows. If the biggest fish in the game are out there distributing surveys to gather feedback for improvement from their customers, what’s stopping you from getting in action? 

I know how scary it is. So here are ways for you to ease into the next step of your pursuit:

1. Establish different levels of perfection.

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When we hear the word “perfect”, it’s often associated with final. It’s the end of it. Nothing else could get better than that. 

You might be experiencing various setbacks in your project right now. In your mind, it’s 98% done, but something still itches inside of you to change it. Improve it. You do anything but publish it. And even though it’s already at 100%, you still haven’t been able to share it because your mind is going in circles for things that could be done better at your project’s current state. 

I’m not asking you to settle for the bare minimum for the rest of your life, but it’s about recognizing that in order for something to move forward, you have to be gentle with yourself in setting your goals. Because a certain goal shouldn’t have to be the last round of everything. Each goal should be a stepping stone. Until you realize that you’re actually capable of accomplishing something, and you just improve them from the get-go.

2. Try to visualize the amount of progress you have made, and what more you could accomplish as you continue.

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

One of the most common mistakes people make when trying to achieve something is that the final product seems farther and farther away from the realms of possibilities while they’re in the middle of a challenging phase, provoking them to quit.

I remember as I was setting up my website, and I had no clue how to customize the heck out of the vision that was in my head, I was on the verge of giving up until I acknowledged the outputs that were in front of me. 

I had a checklist of things that I wanted to achieve, and I realized that I covered the most fundamental parts of my website. Only a few parts were missing, but they’re not particularly relevant enough for me to not release my material out there. And I had to make peace with the fact that those improvements could come later.

And right now, as I’m trying to persistently promote my website on social media, I’m having a hard time navigating between all the platforms manually with no automation. I only have a schedule that I have to follow and a stockpile of content that I have to upload on the date that I assigned them, because I honestly couldn’t afford an automation application-yet. 

It’s hard work. And I had a hindering thought whether promoting it is worth all the trouble, all because of a mediocre website that I built?

But I realized that if I consistently publish content each week, I could build a solid foundation. Imagine how much I could create in a few months and the engagement it could bring over a year. I can only imagine the growth.

So don’t lose hope. Count your future progress and manifest the possibilities that could come with it.

3. Bet on yourself.

I understand that brandings are made differently. Others project their identity in how they want to portray their work, whilst some utilize the power of psychology to exhibit the objectives of their business, and the latter is definitely tricky to pursue. If a person could even afford it, they would hire somebody who knows how to translate that person’s vision. Who wouldn’t?

Unfortunately for most people, it’s a game for the professional players. 

Many businesses succeed by offering the same services in different ways. Like, how many fast food restaurants do we need out there serving fried chicken or French fries? But, unsurprisingly, they’re still on business because of unique branding.

But if you’re just starting, your safest bet to approach your audience is to depend on your own energy. Be your most genuine self in the process of your creation. It’s like attracting a friend because you have a common energy that complements each other. It will definitely take time, and you really have to have the grit to pursue your goal no matter what. 

But the important part of it all is that it makes the creative process feel like an effortless breeze. Because you show up as you are, and you attract people who click with you. 

Ever wonder why so many abstract artists still make a name in spite of their “imperfect” concepts? In spite of people claiming that they’re not real artists because none of it portrays reality? It’s because there are people who still resonate with their creations.

Some risks come with attaching your true identity as your branding. But if you’re willing to start and love your craft more than you hate it, what’s there to lose?

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The most important thing is aligning yourself with people who have the same vision as you and creating a community that welcomes them. Nobody’s ever going to remember the minute errors that you committed or the imperfect details that you have. 

And in this world of progressive AI, imperfection is what makes you human. And if they do, nobody’s going to lose sleep over it except you. We’re all just human beings who, at the end of the day, are too preoccupied with how to please people by being overly conscious of ourselves. 

Remember, perfection comes in different levels and presents itself in different versions in our lives. 

That painter could change their artistic style because there’s a different wave of inspiration that hits them. That famous author delved into the horror genre after years of publishing fantasy. And that neighbor who changed their career at 40 is also trying to compose their own music. 

So do your own thing, enjoy having fun creating it, allow yourself to make mistakes, learn from them, and watch yourself flourish in different forms. It’s thrilling to have something to look forward to.

What’s one project you’ve been delaying? 

Start it today even if it’s messy, imperfect, but real.