One of the hardest parts of being a creative soulpreneur is taming your inner perfectionist.
I get it because I have one of those too. Our creations become like our babies in a weird way, and we want to send them out into the world polished and perfect. No one is ever supposed to see the mistakes or know how much we agonized over making sure every last word or drop of paint is absolutely perfect. Never mind the whole theory that there is beauty in the flaws – that’s a story for another day.
The problem with listening to that inner perfectionist is this…
In the effort to be perfect, we don’t produce. And if we don’t produce, we don’t sell. And that is a huge problem for creative soulpreneurs.
Fortunately, there are ways you can tame your inner perfectionist, and I have six of them right here for you…
Inner Perfectionist Tamer #1 – Learn from your mistakes
Making a mistake is not the end of the world. It’s a by-product of creativity and taking risks, and as creatives we know we’re taking risks all the time. It’s hard to create something new if you’re not willing to experiment a little bit. So, as long as you learn from your mistakes and figure out what you can do differently the next time, then go back to the drawing board – literally.
Inner Perfectionist Tamer #2 – Do something fun
You might have to teach your inner perfectionist how to have fun. It always wants to keep score, and pushes you to be perfect and out achieve everyone else. And that’s pretty much the exact opposite of doing something just for fun – no pressure, just pleasure and a feeling of being a peace with the world.
One of my favorite things to do for fun is to doodle. There’s no pressure in doodling, because there’s no right or wrong way to do it and you really can’t make a mistake. If you end up with a line somewhere you don’t want it, just add something else to it and go off in that new direction to see where it takes you.
Inner Perfectionist Tamer #3 – Tackle projects one step at a time
It’s been said that perfectionism is a form of procrastination, and I can see that because I’ve experienced that a lot in my own work. In my mind I see this big, beautiful, finished product, and I get overwhelmed before I even start because I don’t know exactly how to get to that finished perfect product.
By tackling projects one step at a time, you don’t have to worry about getting step 10 perfect just yet. You only have to worry about finishing step one. It makes things much more manageable and easier to ignore that little voice that’s continually nagging you about the final outcome.
I think half the joy in creating comes from the journey itself. And by the time you’ve got steps one through nine created, step 10 might look totally different that what you’d envisioned when you started. But you’ll never know if you try and build the whole thing at once because you might never even get started.
Inner Perfectionist Tamer #4 – Learn to prioritize imperfection
Oh, your inner perfectionist is going to hate this one!
There are times when you need everything to be perfect, and times when a little imperfection might serve you better.
You really don’t need to be “on” all the time. No one does. It’s not authentic, because we’re not robots.
By deciding when you need to be perfect, and when you can relax the rules a little and improvise a little, you’ll be able to improvise and color outside the lines every once in a while.
Inner Perfectionist Tamer #5 – Do the mindset work
It’s been said that perfectionism can often be a sign of focusing too much on external things like prestige, material possessions, and things you can’t control. And I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how bad that is for not only your creativity, but your overall mental health.
Learn to focus more your yourself and feeling good about yourself and your work, and less on worrying about everyone else, and you may find that you’re a little less inclined to listen to your inner perfectionist about everything else.
I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, or that it’s going to happen overnight, but it’s definitely something worth working on.
Inner Perfectionist Tamer #6 – Relax!
This is my favorite way to shut the inner perfectionist up for awhile. Because, I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but trying to be perfect all the time is hard work! And stressful too.
Finding ways to relax can go a long way to quieting your perfectionist voice, and opening you up to thoughts and ideas that may never have occurred to you.
Go for a walk, meditate, listen to calming music, get a massage – all of these are great ways to relax and just let your mind rest for awhile.
Final Thoughts
We all have an inner perfectionist that drives us to be the best that we can be, especially when it comes to our creative output. But letting your perfectionism overtake everything else can not only stifle your creativity, it can affect your bottom line as a creative soulpreneur. Because if you’re not producing, you’re not selling.
Finding ways to reduce your tendency toward perfectionism is essential in opening up your creative flow and your willingness feel good enough to put your work out there. It’s all a process, and I don’t think that the process ever ends, but by using some of these suggestions, you might just find your inner perfectionist taking more of a backseat in your work and your life.
