I remember the day I handed off an imperfect early draft of my Dare to Decide book to my writer friend.
Of course it’s imperfect – it’s a draft, you might be thinking.
Yes, there were typos, missing words. I was okay with those because they would be fixed in the final drafts.
No, I’m talking about missing chunks in chapters and pages where I stopped mid-sentence in a re-write because my inspiration dried up. There were chapters where I didn’t say what I meant to say and it bugged me.
As I hit send on that email, I marvelled at how far I’d come as a recovering perfectionist.
A few years ago, I would have prolonged it, fixing as much as I could. I would have been stressed out, wondering what someone would think and if I’d be misjudged because something wasn’t complete or perfected. I would have over-apologized, making sure they know that I know it’s not perfect, and cringed anticipating what they might say about it.
That moment I hit SEND on my email, I just felt aware. I saw the imperfections for what they were:
- a draft of a book progressing towards the day will bring hope, clarity and relief to readers at their crossroads
- points of discussion I couldn’t wait for her to read so we could talk it out
- signs that I have grown since I first wrote those passages, and the way I see things has shifted
So why was it important to pass off this imperfect draft of my book?
Because while doing my best and offering quality work were still important values, I had started seeing the magic of moving beyond perfection.
Sometimes, the clarity and confidence you need for a breakthrough is on the other side of letting someone see your imperfections.
Have you been hiding something you’ve created or delaying a decision because it’s not perfected and polished enough?
What if the very imperfections you’re ashamed of are what would bring the connections, inspiration or courage you need to move forward in your calling?
This week dare to release something imperfect into the world.
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If there’s more going on in your decision to move forward in your creative work or calling, I have some sweet offers for you this week!
Enjoy the book birthday sale by nabbing Dare to Decide Kindle or Paperback on Amazon for a serious deal ($0.99 or $9.99). (Ends July 31.)
OR… Not in the mood to add another book to the stack on your nightstand (pretty sure we can’t be friends then… who doesn’t want more books?!)? Get my free printable workbook: The Prayer and Affirmations of a Recovering Perfectionist.
