Tag Archives: perfectionism

10 Surefire Ways to Knock Out the Undesirables on Your To-Do List

22 Mar

Check off that to-do listThe first quarter of the year is rapidly drawing to a close along with the TO-DO list items that keep getting transferred every day. Here are great answers answers to the following question I put on the HOPEpreneurs Facebook page:

“I have some things on my TO-DO list that keep getting transferred over to the next day. This is mainly because I don’t like to do them. What advice do you have for me to get them done before the end of the year?”

1. Write down each on a separate piece of paper.

Fold it  and drop it in a bowl. Randomly draw one each day. Now, you only have one thing you don’t like on your list!

Jan Harrison – Speaker/Trainer/Conference facilitator

2.  Do one at the FIRST of each day.

Reward yourself (walk, yoga, manicure, coffee) when complete. Good luck!

Gloria Miele – President of Optimal Development Coaching

3.  Do shortest one first.

Glenna Smart Castle

4.  Delegate.

Juliann Nichols

5.  Take little bites.

Momentum builds momentum…

Wayne Parnell –

6. Reward yourself.

There are “to do” things that I love, which do not necessarily need to be done soon, but always get done first. I reward myself with the “love to do” things after I have accomplished a “don’t like to do” thing

Nancy Denharder

7. Determine which ones can be handed off.

Get creative and trade, hire someone to do them or whatever else you need to do.
Mariaemma Pelullo-Willis

8. Dig in and get it done now.

Focus on what’s important to you. Stop procrastinating, because time and energy are needed for your Christmas duties. Besides, think of all the fun you’ll have once these tasks are behind you.
Larry Freeman

9. Set the timer.

Set aside a specific period of time to work on a big project. Stick with it until the timer goes off. You will be amazed at how much you get done.
Karen Sebastian – Founder of HOPEpreneurs

10. Get an accountability partner.

Find someone you can trust to hold you accountable. Make a plan and stick with it. Set dates to complete tasks and get them done.

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Overcoming 3 Barriers to Success

4 Sep

Learn as you go - make progressIt’s hard to reach new levels of accomplishment both as an individual and as an entrepreneur. As we expand out of our self-imposed ‘comfort zone’ we can often find the greatest resistance in our minds. Recently, I took a challenge to record and post a video every day for 30 days.  I’m thrilled to have made several videos despite the following three barriers that threatened to hold me back. Any one of these can slow you down and, when stuck in all three, you become paralyzed.

  • Procrastination – putting off critical decisions until later
  • People pleasing – looking for the approval of others
  • Perfectionism – waiting until everything is perfect before taking another step

Procrastination

I immediately started researching and looking for the best practices of producing videos. I started asking others for advice and planning what I would put together. My form of procrastination is not about being unwilling to work because I can get incredibly busy with a flurry of unproductive activities. Instead, it’s in planning and talking about what I want to do. And that’s where it can stop with no forward progress.

Hope Antidote

I overcome my fear of making critical decisions by moving forward and not waiting. I learn as I go because I make good decisions. Confidence in taking the next step eliminates procrastination and encourages others to come along.

Pleasing People

It’s important to be aware of others. At the same time, it’s impossible to please everyone. In fact, if I’m not careful that can become my full-time job. When it came to recording the videos, I took the equipment that I had and started. The great part was I actually got great advice from others and most of it was positive.

Hope Antidote

I care about what others think, yet do not let their opinions paralyze me and keep me from moving forward. Feedback from others helps to guide me in the right direction but does not set my course.

Perfectionism

Perfection is overrated. It’s a fictional state of being that can never be found because you can always find another reason why the project is not perfect.

Hope Antidote

My satisfaction comes from progress and I learn as I go.

I posted seven videos on my 30-day video challenge. That’s seven more than I would have created before I started. I had fun! I met some wonderful people who inspired and encouraged me. I’m glad I set aside my pathological procrastination, people-pleasing perfectionism. It’s thrilling to make progress.

How about you? What project is laying on the side of the road due to this trilogy of barriers to your success? Go back and pick it up again. Dust it off and start heading in the right direction.

Karen Sebastian is a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed in your business. She is a certified facilitator with Kauffman Foundation’sFastTrac. Subscribe to this blog for more inspiration on how to become a HOPEpreneur. Please email her at hopepreneurs@gmail.com if you would like to book her as a speaker or want one-on-one coaching to accelerate your personal and professional growth.

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Eliminating Excuses Caused by Perfectionism

24 Apr

Celebrate Progress rather than Perfection

“What’s wrong with perfectionism? Shouldn’t I set high standards,” you might be thinking. In my own experience, perfectionism has done me more harm than good. When facing new situations, I feel uncomfortable and unwilling to look like a fool or ask for help. Here are some of the ways where seeking to get it ‘perfect’ has hindered my success (along with the HOPE Antidote – of course):

Too hard

When facing a new challenge, it can seem like an insurmountable situation. Every time you try something new it will seem hard at first. If you are a perfectionist,  you  may resist moving forward when you are not sure of yourself.

Hope Antidote

My hope antidote for this excuse is to think back on other times when I felt like something was overwhelming. With time, I became comfortable with the new skill and encouraged others to try it. Why should this situation be any different? It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay if you’re unsure. The key is to move forward and take action.

Take too much of my time

This excuse can become a self-fulfilling prophecy because at times, when I’ve tackled a new project, I’ve lost sight of all the other things that I need to do. This ‘all-or-nothing’ thinking  is confining and holds me back.

Hope Antidote

The best way to eliminate this excuse is to schedule my time and move forward systematically and not compulsively. Darren Rowse in Problogger writes about how perfectionism itself is a ‘time drain.’ He’s right about that. Determine how much time you are willing to spend and reward yourself when you stick to it.

Too complicated

I have to face that, most often, I am the one making it complicated. This goes back to the saying, “If it’s worth doing, then it’s worth doing it right.” The flip side of that statement is that I’d rather not even start the project because it looks too daunting.

Hope Antidote

The battle is in my mind. What I believe becomes my reality. In other words, if I keep believing that it is too complicated, I will indeed be paralyzed by my perfectionism. On the other hand, I will move forwards if I create a mind map or a list of next steps and tackle each one consistently. It’s my choice. My new saying will be, “If it’s worth doing, I will take steps in that direction.”

Set a simple plan in place. Take a few steps. Laugh when you trip. Learn from your mistakes.  Cheer yourself on as you tackle big projects. If you do this on a consistent basis you will be much better off. Experience the joy of forward progress instead of beating yourself up because it’s not perfect.

What hope antidotes to perfectionism can you share? I would love to celebrate with you.

Karen Sebastian is a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed in your business. Please email her at hopepreneurs@gmail.com if you would like to book her as a speaker or want one-on-one coaching. Subscribe to this blog for more inspiration on how to become a HOPEpreneur.

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3 Hindrances to Successful Blogging

13 Mar

Here are three main hindrances that can hold you back from writing a blog: People-Pleasing, Procrastination and Perfectionism. Which one of these is keeping the door closed to the benefits of writing a successful blog?

Open the door and explore the opportunities that await on the other side

People Pleasing

One of the things that I’ve observed in jumping into the deep end of the social media pool is that there are few original voices. The only way to avoid criticism is to do nothing. You can’t please everyone so move forward with what you want to do. One of the reasons I push through with writing this blog is to discipline myself to be on the lookout for topics that I can develop. Then I start writing about them. Every time I complete a blog with original content and post it, I increase my credibility. Have you found your own voice? Are you moving ahead with your ideas?

Perfectionism

I commend you for wanting to do things the right way and warn you that trying to get it all perfect before you move forward will limit your success. Who says it has to be perfect? Learn from others and share your knowledge gained through mistakes. These are often our best teachers.  Besides, if goof you can easily go back and fix it. What topics are you going to write about?

Procrastination

This final deterrent is closely linked to the first two. It will take forever to write your blog if you are wondering about what people will think and feel the need for perfection. Write the blog in stages and save the draft. Set a deadline for publishing it. Keep a list of potential topics. Write a series of blogs. Come up with the top ten list on a given topic. Or make it three like this post. Set up a schedule and stick to it. When are you going to start?

I urge you to move forward with your blog. Start today by setting your perfectionism aside and sharing your words of wisdom and insight. I know I would love to read what you have to say and I know I’m not the only one.

Karen Sebastian is a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed in your business. Please email her at hopepreneurs@gmail.com if you would like to book her as a speaker or want one-on-one coaching. Subscribe to this blog for more inspiration on how to become a HOPEpreneur.

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Ten Ways to Embrace Change

7 Feb

The current fast-paced changes in our world can leave us feeling overwhelmed. Here are ten things you can do right now to embrace the changes in your life.

Transform your approach to change and enjoy the ride.

  1. Adjust quickly to the “new normal.”
  2. Prepare in advance when you see change coming
  3. Take a break from your routine. Step back and gain perspective.
  4. Revise your goals to incorporate the change.
  5. Shift your priorities to allow time for the change to sink in.
  6. Transform your conversation around the change.
  7. Turn the negatives into positives.
  8. Transition quickly personally, yet give others some lead time to adjust.
  9. Add training to your schedule so you can have someone show you how to take shortcuts.
  10. Transform your approach to change and enjoy the ride.

Which one resonates?

Karen Sebastian is a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed in your business. Please email her at hopepreneurs@gmail.com if you would like to receive one-on-one coaching. Subscribe to this blog for more inspiration on how to become a HOPEpreneur.

Image from dreamstimefree.

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Secrets to Finding Topics for Your Blog

6 Jan

Keep a pen handy to jot down topics for your blog.Now that you’ve decided to take the plunge to write a blog what should you write about? First of all, make sure that your topic is one that you are passionate about. Do you get excited when you think about it? Do you talk about it to others? Do you come alive when you explore the nuances of it? If that is the case, then you will easily find topics. Increase your awareness and look for them. Here are three secrets to finding compelling topics:

  1. Share life experiences. What’s happened lately that relates to your topic? We are all interested in the stories of others.
  2. Jot ideas down immediately. I carry a notebook with me everywhere I go. I write down my ideas as they come up and come back to them later.
  3. Ask your readers. It’s a wonderful way to engage your audience.

The most important part is to go ahead and start with what you have. Put aside your perfectionism. Tell your story and it will get easier each time you hit the Publish button. Once you get going the topics will pop up as you need them.

For those who are blogging on a consistent basis, how do you find your topics?

Karen Sebastian is a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed in your business. Subscribe to this blog for more inspiration on how to become a HOPEpreneur.

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