This series is all about the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when creating a website. The sixth mistake is not getting started because you focus on perfection over progress.
Understandable desire for things to be perfect
You want the things you do and create to be good, perfect even. But when you put perfection over progress, you end up not moving forward. You stay stuck.
When things have to be perfect you can’t succeed because you can’t be perfect. It’s not possible.
You have set yourself up to fail.
There are 2 general ways that perfectionism messes with us.
First you may be unable to start because the pressure of having it be perfect is so discouraging that you can’t begin.
Or second you may be unable to finish because whatever you are doing can never be perfect.
Let’s start with NOT starting.
Why don’t we start? There are many reasons we tell ourselves why we don’t start.
- If you don’t start then you can’t fail.
- If you don’t start then you don’t have to finish.
- If you don’t start then you don’t have to try.
- If you don’t start then you don’t have to make an effort.
These are great rationalizations for not starting. It lets you off the hook.
Comparison Trap
It could also be that you are comparing yourself to others who are much further ahead in their business than you are. The comparison trap is a good way to make yourself feel not good enough, to doubt yourself and your abilities. Since being able to keep up with these long-established businesses feels impossible and overwhelming, you don’t try.
Past experiences of getting started
You may have started things in the past and they didn’t work out. Maybe you failed. Maybe it wasn’t perfect. Maybe you felt judged. Maybe someone criticized your work. Maybe you never let it out into the world because it wasn’t perfect.
These past experiences could have left you wary.
It may be that starting anything seems kind of pointless and a lot of work for no return.
But the sense of self-judgement for not trying may still be there. Not accomplishing something feels terrible. And who wants to feel terrible?
As entrepreneurs we are going to fail at lots of things. The big thing is what we do with that failure. Do we learn from it or do we retreat? Granted, a strategic retreat may be warranted for a time. But trying and starting again are a necessity.
The next biggest mistake people make when creating a website is part 2 of perfection over progress – not finishing.