It's been 1 year...

I never thought this would be possible, but I did it.

Even when I didn't feel like it, i did it.

Right now as I write this and face resistance, I'm doing it.

What did I do?

Consistently wrote 1x Newsletter every Saturday for a year.

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For some that might not sound like much. But for me, it's huge.

Consistency has always kicked me in the ass. I want something, I start something, I realise the process of getting something takes time, I give up. There's a lot of words to describe this, but perfectionism comes to mind.

Consistently building on Twitter and my Newsletter newsletter has changed my life. It's opened up many doors like meeting incredible people, discovering loads about myself and it helped me break my biggest self limiting belief (making money online).

This year I made €1,702. (Which started in August).

It's just a small teaser of what's possible online

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Anyway this is not a how to make money email, this is lesson about perfectionism.

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I'm 37 and it took me 5 years of creating content to finally see some results of the effort.

5 years of jumping between ideas, different platforms, different creative styles, different directions.

All from a result of perfectionism.

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Perfectionism is killing your dreams

All through my 20s-30s I wanted to create and profit (aka work for myself)

I'm someone who's obsessed with quality, I like to consume quality information, food and products.

I purchase quality things and constantly look for the perfect tool for the job.

This obsession for quality set my standards.

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With this mindset, you become highly critical of your work.

You get obsessed about a new project, you consume, research and take courses.

You might tell some people about it, to get feedback and build excitement.

You spend a few hours one day, getting started and kicking off the new creative adventure.

But then you start to realise the time and energy that goes into building this project (to your standards).

It looses it's charm, and it becomes too hard.

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You're now bored of this project and you add it to the pile of other half started projects.

You find a new idea to obsess over, the cycle continues and the pile of unfinished projects grows.

That's me and I call it the Perfectionist Loop

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Repeating this behaviour leads to feeling defeated, mental burnout land low confidence.

This is exactly what kicked my ass and lead me to make little progress in 5 years.

But, luckily there's a solution.

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How to break the perfectionist loop

The loop of perfectionism goes like this:

Spark, Obsession, Overwhelm, Abandonment, Restart.

Now that you know, adopt this framework to beat it

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Awareness: Understand the loop and admit you'll be trapped.

You need to notice the sparks, they are the trigger that will send you into this spiral. Track them.

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Know: Nothing is perfect.

Perfectionism is an illusion, nothing is perfect, ever.

Remind yourself that any project you start, any content you create is going to be average.

Normalise sharing average things and the quality will improve over time.

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Plan: Brainstorm what you want to achieve and then what steps are required to get there.

Think about your project and break it down into small steps.

Ask yourself: What resources or skills do I need?

(If you struggle with this I highly recommend you find a summary of Atomic Habits by James Clear)

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Build: Schedule each part of the process during the week and focus on working towards that 1 piece each day. Think of it like a giant jigsaw puzzle that you're putting together.

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Remember that every idea and project you want to work on takes time.

Stop trying to rush quality, stop trying to be perfect on the first attempt. Take it slow and be comfortable with the process, it can be quite mindful and meditative once you accept this and tell yourself "no worries".

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What do you think of this framework? Let me know if it works for you!

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ps - The perfectionist in me was stressing that I wouldn't complete this email in time for the deadline:

9am Saturday CEST - I started worrying and it created internal friction or perfectionist fallout in my mind.

But I told myself "no worries", took a deep breath and "I'll release it when I finish it this morning."

Showing up is what's important.

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Thanks Friends

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