A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about does fear hold you back? In the same way, perfection can hold you back as well. Too many entrepreneurs strive for perfection. In reality, perfection can be as paralyzing as fear. When we try to perfect a product, process or service it promotes hesitation and that promotes inactivity. Nothing will kill a great business or idea faster than inactivity. We must keep moving forward.

The great Green Bay Packers football coach Vince Lombardi said “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence”. Nowhere in that quote did he say to stop moving forward while working on being perfect. If we work “at” perfection while striving forward we achieve excellence. There is no such thing as perfection in our world. Everything is flawed to some degree. But if this journey stops your progress, you are finished.

The one thing I have learned in business is the fact that if you are not moving forward, you are moving backwards. It is impossible to stay at status quo. We have to work at our business like someone is always one step behind trying to steal it. There are always going to be obstacles. We must find our way around, over or through the obstacle to achieve the success we all desire. No one wants to be a loser. It is only by fear or perfection promoting inactivity that failure can be achieved. Failure only happens when we give up.

Perfection is a very high goal to strive for and we should all want to strive to be better people, better business processes, products and services. But if the need for being perfect stops any of our progress, it is over. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or fail at your process. That is how we learn and get better. Own them and move on. Never allow fear or perfection stop you from succeeding. Keep moving forward!

“The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing”. —Eugene Delacroix

Image by Stuart Miles at www.freedigitalphotos.net

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Tim Wilhoit is owner/principal of Your Friend 4 Life Insurance Agency in Nashville, TN. He is a family man, father of 3, grandfather of 1, entrepreneur, insurance agent, life insurance broker, employee benefit specialist, salesman, sales trainer, recruiter, public speaker, blogger, author and team leader with over 29 years of experience in sales and marketing in the insurance and beverage industries.