Drive. Align. Shift. Spirit Driving Institute Blog

Are You Perfectly Stuck? – Guest Blogger, Donna Toothaker

From Leila: Donna Toothaker was my first virtual assistant (pun intended). Her business is called 1st VA and she helped me to launch my Spirit Driving teleclasses back in 2004. Her business has grown because she is a high achiever with great ideas. In this article, she provides some insight on challenges that high achievers face. I agree whole-heartedly. Enjoy!

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As creative, entrepreneurial people, we are often gifted with the world's greatest ideas.  Our imaginations abound with business plans, information products, and new ways of marketing our services.  So, why aren’t we acting upon, and manifesting all these brilliant dreams of ours?  We're perfectly stuck, that's why.

We have high standards, and are high achievers.  We also have the tendency toward perfectionism - wanting everything to be just "so" before we put it out into the world.  The difference between being a high achiever and perfectionism is that high achievers relish the process of creating and manifesting something, and once they start they don't look back – they keep moving.  Perfectionists, on the other hand, are focused solely on the goal, and are so driven to succeed – or rather, not to fail – that many times they don't even begin the creation process due to overwhelm.

How many people don't move forward with projects or in their business because they're waiting for things to be perfect, the perfect business name, domain, website, information product, program, the perfect timing... the list goes on.  The sad truth is, if they just took action without waiting for perfection they'd be so much further in their business.

How do we move the perfection roadblock from out of our path to manifesting our dreams?  Consider a few small things that can make a huge difference:

As perfectionists, we're our own worst critics.   Nobody can possibly be scrutinizing you or your work as much as you are.  Most imperfections we notice in our work are unimportant, or invisible, to others.

Small moves, made repeatedly, are better than one big effort. Just as we are told about the cumulative health benefits of short bursts of exercise, so do small actions add up to big gains in manifesting your ideas.  What small action step can you do today - every day - to keep your dream in motion?

Mistakes can be springboards for success. No matter how seasoned you are in your business, you will make mistakes – even when things seem to be going smoothly.  It's just a fact of life.  And, often it is the larger mistakes that teach the most meaningful lessons.   Learning from mistakes, and learning how to implement that knowledge immediately into your creative process can spring you more quickly toward achieving your goals, or launch you in a whole new direction.

Be kind to yourself. When mistakes do happen – and they will – be compassionate toward yourself.  Practice positive self-talk, replacing name calling ("How could I be so STUPID") with self-encouragement ("Next time, I will slow down and be more careful so I don’t overlook important details.")

The bottom line is, while a desire to do well, to do your best work and to explore your full potential can give you sense of satisfaction and personal fulfillment, you have to learn when it is 'good enough'.  Only then, will you be able to move forward with confidence and bring those brilliant ideas to life.

Donna Toothaker is CEO and founder of 1st VA the highly sought-after online marketing and consulting company. 1st VA specializes in providing online marketing support and services to entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who wish to effectively build or improve their online presence. To discover how 1st VA can help your business - visit http://www.1stva.com.