Do It Imperfectly (But Do It)

Are you sometimes being held back by wanting to do something perfectly? If so, let me share a story with you that might inspire you to do it imperfectly.

Last week, I did a spiritual retreat where I was searching for a new vision and direction. And I’m pretty sure it was one the most imperfect retreats in the history of all retreats.

The ideal scenario would be to spend a few days by myself and without any electronics in the wilderness, fasting, and asking for guidance.

The reality? It’s 2021 so it was all virtual. The only wilderness I was in was urban. I signed up late so I was running half a day behind. The calls were in the middle of my day so I couldn’t stay until the end. And I was doing this in the middle of everything else… coaching current clients, connecting with potential new clients, publishing articles (here’s my latest one about how to make your business stand out from the competition), reviewing an old interview for a book project, spending time with family over dinner, etc.

I was probably breaking every rule in the book on how to do this.

But you know what? My retreat may have been imperfect but it was perfectly imperfect. Despite (or maybe even because of these limitations), I got a ton out of it. I’m glad I did it. And something about doing it so imperfectly but still doing it felt very appropriate for 2021.

I think there’s a lesson in there for all of us. Forget perfectionism. Done is better than perfect. If I wanted to do this retreat right, I wouldn’t have done it at all — and missed out on something wonderful. As Arthur Ashe so accurately put it:

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."

Do it imperfectly, but do it. What is something you could dare to do imperfectly this week?