Pitfalls in the Pursuit of Perfection

“No, that’s ok. I got it.”

“I’m good. I don’t need a break. At all.”

“I’ll get to that pile as soon as I’m finished with this one. I don’t need any help.”

“Yes, I’m a night owl and a morning person. Really.”

I’m hoping none of this sounds familiar and you stop reading right now. But I suspect we’ve all said these things at one point or another thinking that they were what we were supposed to say. Why are we perpetuating the myth that we are experts in everything?

In my world of organizing I see this a lot and the main culprit is something I’ve talked about before: PERFECTION. Our businesses are our babies and we want them to be perfect. We don’t want someone else messing things up so we hold on tight and slam the door on offers of help or guidance.

Or there is the twin sister to seeking perfection: Fear of asking for help.

“What if people get the idea that I don’t know what I’m doing?”  “What if they think I’m a fraud because I don’t have all the answers?”

How does this manifest? It comes out in the piles of papers yet to be filed because you haven’t created a system and you don’t have time to put them away. I see people who are bleary-eyed and exhausted because they won’t seek help with the details of their business they aren’t good at doing or shouldn’t be doing. I see cluttered kitchens with this week’s recycling on the counter and last night’s dishes piled in the sink because you didn’t want to ask for help.

While we are all looking at the beautiful Instagram picture of the perfectly set table or the fashion blogger with the gorgeous tresses grazing her shoulder or the entrepreneur who just seems to nail.everything.just.right, it just isn’t the case. I guarantee you that the set table took 29 hours of prep and the blogger is probably hiding a pimple with her hair. The entrepreneur probably has a messy office and no food in the refrigerator.

[bctt tweet=”Why are we perpetuating the myth that we are experts in everything?” username=”thesouthernc”]

We are all putting our best faces forward and trying our best. NONE of us is perfect. But we can ask others for help and it’s not only ok, it’s what you should be doing. Nobody thinks less of you for seeking advice or an extra set of hands to make it work. There are no bad or stupid questions. Only the ones that aren’t asked.

So whether it’s finally hiring that bookkeeper to help with your financials, getting an assistant to schedule your calendar, or bringing someone in to help with the housework, it’s essential to not expect yourself to be perfect or the expert in all things. We all have our gifts and talents and it’s our job to figure out what they are so we can share them with the world.

Get help. Just ask.