Letting Go Of Perfection And Checklists
May 17 2012
It’s hard to say if letting go of perfection and checklists are related or not, unless of course you put “be your silly self even if someone looks disapprovingly your way or feels threatened by your authenticity” on your checklist. 🙂
A friend posted a 2010 article on facebook recently called Want to be happy? Stop trying to be perfect. It’s so true. I don’t know where we get that intense fear to be perfect and do it all correctly based on some model someone or a group of people or some stupid TV show put in our mind. I think part of the reason reality TV shows have done so well is because those who have time to watch them inevitably feel better about themselves when they see they aren’t as screwed up as some other people out there! You must watch the author’s video about the topic and her years of research: TEDxHouston – Brené Brown (youtube). She delivers her message in a very authentic/real way and that’s what we are all striving to be: authentic and accepted for who we are. I like the slide where she equates a breakdown to an awakening. I’ve been there, done that and got the t-shirt. I hope I can help guide others through their awakening process because it’s painful. I’ll be attempting to do a little of that this weekend by being on the support team for the Search Within program that I participated in over 2 years ago. The founders of the program will be holding their last events this year after 15+ years of organizing them.
Another interesting read I found via Marc Andreeseen’s blog is called The CEO’s Weekly Checklist by Scott Weiss. He says you should “Push the Team. Sell the Vision. Arbitrate Disagreements. Manage by Walking Around. Talk to Customers.” It made sense to me since I’ve worn those first time CEO shoes before. I might change the order, but other than that these are good guidelines. In my opinion, the number one job of a top notch CEO/President is to find the right people and orchestrate them towards success. It is much easier said than done. You have to get your ego out of the way and not be threatened by the authenticity you see in those people. If you hire them and don’t listen to them, then you might as well dig your early grave from a business as well as your employees personal health perspective.
Author: Aruni | Filed under: entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, environment, FYI | Tags: brene brown, ceo weekly checklist, facebook, first time CEO, marc andreesseen, marc andreessen, perfection, search within, support team, tedx | 11 Comments »
I am so relieved to see this post. It’s like a rat race out there and bringing down checklists and tasks will be the starting steps towards a better way of life.
Health comes first after all they all say that “health is wealth.”
To be authentic you need to break away completely from society and the media that virtualize a reality that is not there. So the only way man can find inspiration that comes from our inner self. People who have driven the masses are those who left the box and were even considered crazy.
A lot of people feel pressured by “society”, their parents, etc… to be something and live a life that does not make them happy; I think the country’s divorce rate can attest to this. You need to do what makes you happy (as long as others are not harmed in the process) and everything else will fall into place.
I found that Keeping a short – Prioritized list works the best. But sticking to the list and Schedule one has decided on is an important aspect of maintaining a good reputation and authority online.
@Wolston – Health does come first. I think checklists can help some get their lives better organized and therefore in a more healthy state, but it can’t be all your life is run by!
@agriturismo – Yes, so let’s hope those who leave the box are crazy in a good way to help humanity. 🙂
Well, this is certainly is a refreshing take. I am not the kind of person who makes a checklist for everything and even when I make a checklist I do not follow it to the last letter. I sometimes make checklist just to remember things but I don’t strictly abide by them.
In Good to Great one of the key components for success is getting the right people on the bus. All the newly successful businesses taking off now put such an emphasis on their employees. You have to know that in the end they’re your greatest asset.
Nobody is perfect. That is the word I always come up with when I am about to have some failures in life. Choosing the right people to have with is one way of having more success in life. You did a great job to this post and I appreciate it.
@Charles – I think more people now know that people are their most important asset, especially in this information age. But most people don’t know how to take care of and nurture their greatest assets. It’s hard to do given how different we all are!
@Marnie – Mistakes and failures are part of our lives. If we take time to learn from them, we can help others and put more positive energy out into the world. 🙂
I think checklists are enormously valuable. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/12/10/071210fa_fact_gawande
@John – Checklists are very valuable, but if they rule your life and you can’t deviate from time to time they can be harmful too. As Confucius said: Moderation in everything.