What Stops You From Completing Your Project? Part 1

Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash

Think about the projects you’ve started. How many have you completed? How many are collecting dust? You, just like me, have probably started projects and gotten to the end, but then something stops you from completing it.

Don’t worry though because we have all been there, and will probably keep doing it. I’m going to share some experiences that have stopped me from completing projects and how I overcame them. And hopefully, my experiences will shine some light on similar things that have stopped you from completing yours and encourage you to finish what you started.

Let’s start with the first stopper: Perfectionism.

Perfectionism is usually seen as a positive trait more than a flaw. And for the most part, it isn’t a flaw. Until you obsess over it.

When I was writing and illustrating my first children’s book, everything was smooth up until I was about to publish.

The book was all done, but I kept editing and editing. Going back and forth with what words to use, what colors to use, etc… I got caught in a vicious circle of editing and everything not being good enough to publish. I became so obsessed with it being perfect that I was never going to complete it.

Yes, I wanted it to be perfect, but at what cost. I wasted a month of extra editing (and I could’ve kept going) until my friend told me that it was good and “you should just publish it or you never will.” And he was right.

It was at that moment that I chose to complete it, rather than perfect it.

I had forgotten my main goal and that was to complete a project. It wasn’t about being perfect. I got consumed by it and it put a stopper on my growth.

I want to tell you: completion, not perfection will lead to greater growth in the end. Each project you start and complete, you’ll learn something new as you do it, and this will benefit you in your next project.

By focusing on completion, you’ll be able to move onto your next project or task with more efficiency and a better outlook of what you can do and learn. Each project you complete will give you new skills that will amplify the next.

Just complete what you can this time and move onto your next big project!

Remember: completion, not perfection.