I have a confession: I'm a perfectionist, at least to some level. (That I want to define my level of perfectionism—or “professionalism,” as I prefer to call it—only confirms I am, indeed, in the perfectionist spectrum.) As might be obvious, this gets meta because I know I can't title this episode “How to Overcome Perfectionism” since I haven't overcome it myself!

If you've been following The Audacity to Podcast for a while, then you've witnessed perfectionism—both its benefits and its disadvantages.

So instead of seeking to teach you how to overcome a personal struggle like this, I want to share what I'm learning, doing, and reminding myself. I hope this will help you in your own podcasting journey, too.

Your audience needs you

People like you

“I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”

“Stuart Smalley”

Perfectionism is not inherently bad

You can't make “perfect”

But you can still make “excellent”

“Published” is better than “eternal draft”

Would you rather sacrifice, or starve?

The “bar” can be changed

Perfectionism kills momentum

Momentum is greater than stagnation

There is no shame in doing the right thing

Your audience would rather hear from you than not

Delaying allows others to take over

Don't “fake it till you make it”

Train it till you retain it!