Have you noticed how hard it is for us to make mistakes? How much time we spend trying to do it perfect? Imagine how much time and energy would be saved if we strove for excellence rather than perfection.

Here in lies a rub. When you are learning something new, have you noticed how mistakes occur? Even knowing this, there is a part of us that thinks “I should know how to do this.” This is even though you’ve never seen it done, watched a video or had someone show you.

Consider the idea that mistakes are part of the process. Striving for perfection can cause all sorts of challenges, one of which is stopping the idea. The other is making things way more complicated and taking way longer to complete.

Perfect example. When UPS started out, they sent out 1,000 packages. Do you know how many got to there mark? Three. 3! Being smart they didn’t say, “Oh my goodness, we’ll never get it done. 997 packages didn’t get to where they were supposed to. We’re awful!” What they did was focus on the three. The three that worked. They discovered what they did correctly and do more of it. They didn’t focus on the “failure,” (and I use that term loosely), they focused on what worked and did more of it.

When I’m asked by people to help them market, I don’t tell them, “Do Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3.” I suggest they look back, see what’s worked for them and do more of it.

Things that don’t work, or “failures” are merely part of the journey. Thomas Edison is a great example. 5000 attempts to find the correct filament. 5000 failures. 5000 that didn’t works. Do you know what he said when he was asked about all these “failures?” He said, “I didn’t fail once. Each one that didn’t work was a step towards finding the one that did!”

Consider this idea next time you take on a new project, idea or venture. Do your homework, ask questions then go forward and succeed. Focus on what you want to do, the goal, where you are going. Succeed through trial and error. Perfection is unattainable.

Keywords: Success, Staff Development, Keynote Speaker Seattle, Self Worth, Workplace Improvement