Entrepreneurs Should Stay Away from Perfectionism
We live in a world where tolerance is minimal. Sometimes, that can be a good thing if it pushes you forward. However, it can also damage you, since putting that much pressure on yourself can hurt your chances of success.
Don't take this the wrong way. Striving for excellence is a great thing, but excellence and perfection are not the same. Excellence refers to the quality of being outstanding; it is superior by comparison. Perfection refers to the absence of flaws. Of course, conforming with mediocrity is not an option, but for something to be excellent, it doesn't have to be perfect.
Here are some of the reasons why perfectionism could harm you as an entrepreneur.
Setting Unattainable Goals for Yourself
Perfectionism can make you set your mind on something that is not necessarily what you need, but more like an unrealistic desire. Setting impossibly high standards will only lead to stress and frustration rather than satisfactory results.
Stress Levels Will Hit the Roof
Holding yourself accountable to achieve perfection will lead to excessive levels of stress, and since you'll feel like you're failing, you won't allow yourself to take a break from it all. That leads to decreased productivity and could potentially cause you to burn out.
"Failure" Will Get the Best of You
Entrepreneurs should have a healthy relationship with failure, as it can teach valuable lessons for personal and professional growth. When your mind is solely focused on perfection, anything else is considered failure. That mindset will likely bring you down and keep you from learning lessons that will propel you forward.
Valuable Time Will Be Wasted
Being a perfectionist means that you will get caught up on a single task, investing time and effort in hope to meet the unrealistic standards or goals you set for yourself. A lot of time and opportunities can be wasted in that process when you should be coming up with new approaches or solutions to the problem.
Rather than help you grow, perfectionism can be detrimental to you as an entrepreneur, or more specifically, as an independent insurance agency owner. If your goal is to reach new heights with your business, always strive for excellence but forget about being perfect.