Perfectionism: My Business’s Greatest Enemy

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been feeling a persistent tug, particularly when it comes to building my business, but I couldn’t quite identify it. Every time I start something to promote my new venture, I begin second-guessing everything.

“Why do I sound this way?”

“Why does it look like that?”

“It’s not flowing right…”

“Not enough people are showing up!”

“Do I know enough to do this?”

“Am I enough?”

That last question hit the hardest.

Building a business based on teaching others what you know and the skills you’ve accumulated over time can weigh heavily on your mind. You wonder if the ‘curse of knowledge’ has transformed into the “lizard brain”, scattering thoughts of uncertainty and limitations.

The ‘curse of knowledge’ means you have so much knowledge on a subject that when you teach it, you might overwhelm your students by pouring out too much information. And it happens often. But for me, this isn’t the case.

I’m a college-trained educator with years of expertise. I know exactly how to teach engagingly and create effective courses and programs. My problem is self-doubt, stemming from comparing myself to my past successes and others.

Comparison Almost Sank My Business 

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and it truly is. The more I compared this business to my design business, the less joy I felt, and the less visible I became.

So, I thought everything had to be perfect because that’s what my previous audience expected of me. I believed I had to bring in tons of people to my email list and grow my Facebook group by leaps and bounds, because that’s how it’s ‘supposed to’ happen. All the while, I was making one of the cardinal mistakes in business—not marketing myself. The ‘build it and they will come’ scenario.

Comparison is definitely the thief of joy, but rooted in comparison is perfection… which is honestly, in the eye of the beholder.

How I’m Pulling My Business Back from Perfectionism Hell

After many tears, a supportive, much-needed talk from my beau, and writing this blog, I realized I have to break up with perfectionism and teach myself the same things I’m teaching my students. I realized this is what many students feel when they struggle with a lesson or activity. They ask themselves:

“Why can’t I get this?”

“Why don’t I understand this?”

“Am I smart enough for this?”

“Am I good enough?”

It’s my job as an educator to support them, showing they can do it while providing support systems or scaffolds to reach the goal. As a coach, consultant, or expert, it’s your job to do the same.

Stepping on the Ladder to Success — One Step at a Time

So, I coached myself (shout out to my biz bestie, Coach Tish), and asked, “If I were teaching myself, how would I handle this imposter syndrome? How would I handle the fear of not being enough or making mistakes for my students?”

I would create a scaffold—a system of support to ensure I eventually reach my goals; much like a ladder.

First, I’d remind myself, “You’ve got this,” and then break the task into smaller, manageable parts. I know I can write well, so I’m committing to blogging once a week and sharing my blog across all my media platforms on a specific day and time. I will make sure I commit to this at least for one week or one time period.

For that one week, I’ll treat myself to something small that I enjoy, to reprogram my mind to recognize that even if  I made mistakes along the way, once I published and promoted my blog,  I still accomplished the objective.

Once I’m able to accomplish this objective, I’ll rinse and repeat until I have it in practice (not pefection).

I know what your’re thinking.  “I get that but you know life be lifein’ at times… whatchu gonna do then?”

I’ll be frank with y’all just as I’m doing now and come up with a formula to get back swimming.

But think about it…

Turn Scaffolds into Success for Yourself and Your Students

As an education entrepreneur in the knowledge industry, are you considering that your audience or students might struggle with your content or course, wondering if they’re good enough? How do you handle this, or do you handle it at all?

Do you consider the pitfalls your students may be experiencing in life and the shifts they may need to get back swimming? 

Your students look to you for support and guidance beyond your vast knowledge. They need to know that even if they don’t understand what you’re teaching, you will provide the ladder to help them reach their goals.

Also, how do YOU navigate the pitfalls of self-doubt as a educator/leader? There are times when you’ll question your own teaching and services wondering if it was enough, like I’ve been doing. How do you filter through the noise of your own perfectionism?

Well, acknowledge how you feel first. It’s valid and a necessary concern. Then get to the nitty gritty and figure out what’s the real problem.

For me, it was comparison of my previous success to this time which is not fair to me or this business. Things are different now and I have to look at it with a new pair of glasses. It’s time to pivot and shift with new ideas and insights.

And the same goes for you. If you’re struggling with perfectionism as an educator entrepreneur, consider how you can be proactive with one small task and not reactive worrying about a lot of big tasks. And this, my friends, is a dose of scaffolding.

We’ve barely scratched the surface of teaching and training techniques you can use to improve your business and even your life.

To discover how to leverage your unique skills for effective teaching in your business and support your potential students, take my quiz. Learn how to navigate beyond the pitfalls of perfectionism and use your instructional genius to encourage and empower those you serve.

Let’s Recap and Apply It!

1. Perfectionism is an Obstacle: Perfectionism can stifle growth and joy. Recognizing that perfection is subjective allows us to let go of unrealistic standards and practice the joy of just creating new, exciting things to see what works well.

2.Scaffolding is Small Successes:  Both in teaching and entrepreneurship, scaffolding—providing a short and small  step-by-step approach to reach goals. It is crucial for success.

3. Embrace Imperfection: Last I checked, most of us reading this are human (you can whisper below if you not tho– I won’t tell). As human, we f*$k up. And that’s the beauty of our lives. Celebrating small wins and understanding that effort is as important as the final outcome can reframe the way we view achievement and encourage continuous improvement.

So, let’s work together to shake off the shackles of perfectionism and build a support system that fosters success. Take the first step by taking my quiz, and let’s explore how you can teach with greater impact and confidence in your business. Click the button below to take my quiz to discover how your genius can best serve you!