When I was much younger, I was fearless. I had an idea, trusted it, and moved.

Over the last few years, I noticed myself becoming more of a perfectionist. I started listening to too many opinions, thinking about how everything would be received, and trying to make everyone happy. Whether it was a design, a plan, or simply an idea, I could spend so much time perfecting it that I was actually slowing myself down. I’ve thought about this for a while and wanted to talk about it for anyone else who puts that same pressure on themselves.

I Didn’t Always Overthink Everything

• When I was younger, I trusted myself more. There wasn’t this need to analyze every possible outcome before making a decision.

Too Many Opinions Made Me Second-Guess Myself

• The more outside noise I listened to, the harder it became to separate what I actually liked from what everyone else thought I should like.

Perfectionism Can Look Like Progress

• Spending forever perfecting something can feel productive, but at a certain point, you’re not improving it anymore. You’re just delaying it.

Not Everyone Has to Like It

• People will always have something to say. Trying to please everyone only waters down the thing that made the idea yours in the first place.

I Started Trusting Myself Again

• Eventually, I realized I didn’t need to become less thoughtful. I just needed to stop letting perfectionism make every decision for me.

I think there’s a difference between caring deeply about what you do and being afraid to let anything be finished. I still care about the details, probably more than ever, but I don’t want perfection to come at the expense of momentum.

Sometimes something can be good, exciting, and worth doing without being absolutely perfect. You can always learn, adjust, and make the next thing even better.