Lots of people experience some degree of perfectionism: it has to be just right before I put it out into the world. It’s a way of dealing with fear, by seeking control … but it doesn’t work. The fear is still there, and you never put anything out in the world.

When you notice this tendency, just put it out in the world. Just publish. Just take action.

Then tell yourself, “Progress, not perfection.” It’s a saying that encourages you to keep taking action, to keep getting better.

It’s better to take action and then learn from the result, adjusting … than to never take action because you’re worried you’ll not get it right. You don’t learn anything from the 2nd approach, while with the 1st approach you’ll constantly get better.

Progress not perfection encourages you to keep going, when things get discouraging. It encourages a learning mindset, instead of one worried about failure.

It also allows you to celebrate progress, even if it’s not the perfect result you’re looking for. Only wrote for 3 days this week instead of the 7 that you hoped for? Well, that’s better than the zero you were doing a month ago!

Celebrate those successes, even if they don’t look like the successes you imagined them to be.