Have you ever wanted to start something—a project, a business, a creative idea—but felt paralyzed by the fear that it just wouldn’t be good enough? You’re not alone. Most people think perfectionism is about high standards. But in reality, it’s a clever disguise for fear and self-doubt.
In this post, I’ll break down how perfectionism shows up, why it keeps us stuck, and practical ways to finally break free and move forward.
The Perfectionism Cycle: Before, During, and After
Perfectionism doesn’t just exist at one stage. It finds a way to sabotage us at every point in our journey:
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Before: The Delay
Before you even begin, perfectionism whispers, “You’re not ready yet. Just do a little more research. Take one more course. Tweak your idea one more time.”
So you wait, plan, prep… and spiral.
And nothing ever gets made.
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During: The Endless Tinkering
You finally get started. But instead of making steady progress, perfectionism shifts gears:
“This isn’t good enough. People are going to notice every little mistake. Just fix this… and that… and this again.”
So you tweak, edit, and revise, again and again. What could have been finished in a day now takes a week—or longer.
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After: The Disappointment Spiral
Even after you finish, perfectionism isn’t done.
You wonder, “Why didn’t it go viral? Why didn’t more people like it? Was this a waste of time?”
Instead of celebrating, you start doubting yourself. You might even delete your work or avoid trying again. The result? You end up feeling stuck and more anxious than when you started.
Why Perfectionism Feels Productive (But Isn’t)
Perfectionism feels like hard work. But most of the time, it’s just a way to stay stuck without admitting it. We think, “If I just plan more, it’ll be better,” or, “If I keep tweaking, maybe I’ll finally get it right.” But the truth is, you don’t learn everything before you begin. You learn by doing it badly, then improving.
Imagine saying, “I can’t start med school yet—I haven’t mastered heart surgery.” It sounds ridiculous. But that’s exactly what we do with our dreams and goals.
The Secret to Progress: Start Ugly, Fail Fast, Fail Forward
You don’t need a perfect plan. You don’t need full confidence. You don’t even need to feel ready.
You just need to start ugly.
Your first draft will be rough. Your first video, cringe. Your first anything will probably not be your best—and that’s the point. Progress requires motion, not polish. Every early mistake is data. Every messy launch is momentum. Every “not good enough” moment is exactly how you get good enough.
Fail fast. Fail forward. Every successful person started by making mistakes and learning from them. Your job isn’t to be flawless—it’s to ship, learn, and keep going.
The B+ Rule and the Law of Diminishing Returns
Perfectionism often traps us in the “during” phase—endless editing, tweaking, and overthinking. Here’s how to break free:
The B+ Rule: If your project is 70–80% as good as it could be, it’s ready. Ship it.
That last push to “A+” perfection usually takes twice as long and barely moves the needle. This is the law of diminishing returns in action: the more you obsess, the less improvement you actually make.
A classic story proves this:
A photography teacher split his class in two. One group was graded on quantity—just take as many photos as possible. The other group was graded on quality—produce one perfect photo.
Who took the best photos by the end? The quantity group. Why? Because they were learning by doing, not just planning.
Your Work Is Not Your Worth
When you finally finish and publish something, it’s easy to let perfectionism strike again:
“It wasn’t good enough. Nobody liked it. I should’ve tried harder.”
But here’s the truth: Your work is not your worth. One post doesn’t define your potential. One flop doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Your body of work is only as strong as the projects you finish.
Instead of judging yourself for not getting the result you wanted, celebrate that you actually shipped it. That puts you ahead of most people who are still waiting to start.
Reframe failure: It’s not “I failed.” It’s, “I gathered data.” That’s all failure is—feedback, information, and a stepping stone to your next better version.
Progress, Not Perfection
Perfectionism says failure is the enemy. But failure is actually the path. The only way to lose is to quit.
Progress, not perfection.
If perfectionism has been holding you back, you’re not alone. You’re not broken. You’ve just been trying to avoid pain—the pain of not being good enough. But the truth is, you become who you’re meant to be by doing the work imperfectly, starting ugly, failing forward, and finishing anyway.
You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to keep going. Let’s do it together.
If this resonated, share your experience with perfectionism below—where does it show up most for you: before, during, or after you start? I’d love to hear your story.