Let me start today’s article out with a confession.

I am recovering from a bad case “perfection-itis.” You may know this disease - perhaps you have it too. If so, we’re not alone. This is an affliction that thousands of entrepreneurs suffer from on a daily basis.

Symptoms include the following:

1) An itching need to get everything right before you send out an ezine, launch a new program, post an entry on your blog, and so on.

2) A burning desire to learn everything there is to know before you try something new such as Twitter, podcasting, direct mail marketing, etc.

3) A feeling of guilt and inadequacy if anyone lets you know you have a typo or they unsubscribe from your ezine or stops working with you as a client.

4) Depression and self blame when your new program or marketing campaign doesn’t go the way it was intended.

And - ugh! - it’s no wonder that before long, the perfectionist in us leads to procrastination and non-action. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. And if you are a perfectionist, you’re not going to like it. Believe me - I am still getting used to the idea.

Here it is: as an entrepreneur, action is more important than perfection.

In fact, perfectionism will great limit your success and, most likely, it will keep you poor. I know this is a bitter pill to swallow. For those of us who hate to make mistakes and are scared to let anything out of our sight that isn’t 100% error free, this feels like a defeat.

Perfectionists spend so much time on each project that there is no time left over for anything else. In business, good-enough is actually better than perfect. The reason is that success thrives on speed. And, it requires ongoing action.

But if we get stuck proofreading our document for the hundredth time or editing our latest teleseminar for every single “um” and “ah,” then all of a sudden our efforts take us hours and hours. It actually begins costing us money.

Perfectionism is also a way to procrastinate.

We use our obsessing over typos to keep us from being bigger in the world. Inaction is safe because you don’t have to face possible criticism. However, the longer you procrastinate, the more difficult it becomes to create the kind of success you really want for yourself.

Don’t let your need to be perfect hold you back any longer.

If you are engaged in an activity and start to obsess, ask yourself this: “Instead of revising this one more time, can I generate more income if I were to spend the next hour on something else?” Then, move into action and send out that ezine or release your new service to the world.

Taking action is what will allow you to reach the success you desire.

Leave a comment and let me know how perfectionism has gotten you stuck and how you are successful in the fight against ‘perfection-itis…’

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