Title: Perfekt!
Length: 355 words
Reprint Terms: May be freely reprinted in print and electronic publications, including newsletters, ezines and web sites, provided that it is reproduced in full, including copyright notice and author information at the end of the article. Advance permission is not required; however, please notify us at cathy@idealady.com when you use this article. We would also appreciate receiving a copy of your publication with the article included.

Perfekt!
by Cathy Stucker, IdeaLady.com
Copyright 2003, Cathy Stucker 

Are you obsessed with getting everything just right? Do you do everything yourself because no one else can do it as well as you can? Do you believe that everything you do has to be absolutely perfect? Although striving for excellence is a good thing to do, demanding perfection in everything you do is not. 

Often, perfectionism is a way to delay taking action. If you keep finding problems to fix, you don't have to do something you dread (such as making sales calls) or subject yourself or your product to the judgements of the marketplace.

Realize and accept that good enough is often good enough. There is a point of diminishing returns, where the time and effort you put in to "improving" something is not worth the cost. The cost is not just the cost of doing something over and over. It includes opportunity cost. Every day that you don't have your product available for purchase, or every day you delay your new marketing program, is a day you are losing sales. And all of the time you put in doing something over and over again is time you could spend doing something more productive and more profitable.

Perhaps what you are trying to make perfect is something that will evolve over time. Your web site doesn't have to be the ultimate web site the day you put it up on the Web. It should be attractive and free of obvious mistakes. The less-obvious mistakes can be fixed and you can always add new sections and content. 

If you find it hard to let go of your quest for perfection, get help from someone you trust. Ask them to look at something you've done and help you decide if it's good enough. They may catch something you didn't, and really make it better. And, they will let you know when it is time to let go and move on to the next imperfect project!

As the Idea Lady, Cathy Stucker can help you attract customers and make yourself famous. Get a free tip every Tuesday when you subscribe to Bright Ideas at http://www.IdeaLady.com/.