Why You Shouldn’t Publish Perfect Work

5 benefits to not obsessing over the perfection of your posts

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Story originally posted on Medium in the Read or Die  Publication,

Click here if you’re a member (so I can get some $ from your read 😁)

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“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough.” — Julia Cameron

Quality over quantity is an absolute law of this land,

But at what point does the effort for quality become a fear of imperfection?

I argue that quality only needs to meet 3 standards,

• Authentic

• Valuable

• Empathetic

Sure, that list is imperfect…

I left off many other nuances that are important to quality.

But that’s what I have YOU for… to tell me what you think.

With imperfection as a strategy,

Let’s try releasing some of the pressure we put on ourselves.

Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash

Here are the 5 Benefits of Imperfect Content!

First, let’s talk about what I don’t mean by imperfect content…

I am NOT talking about lazy, thrown-together ideas.

When I say imperfect content, I still mean good content.

Content that makes a point and takes a stance,

NOT content that takes no direction and aims to cover all bases.

How can people get to know YOU,

If your posts don’t really say what YOU think.

More Community

By being open to taking a stance (even if it isn’t perfect),

You allow your audience to know your beliefs.

Sure, not everyone will agree, but that, is PERFECT!

You don’t want a community of yes-men… right?

The best communities are individuals working towards a common goal,

Each in their own unique way.

They share differing perspectives and learn from each other,

Disagreement does not mean hate.

More Authenticity

Imperfect work breathes authenticity.

Why?

Because we are all HUMAN (unless you’re an alien or robot) —

Flawed creatures, shaped by our unique perspectives.

That’s what authenticity is about,

Letting your true self come forward and speak without fear of judgment!

People will rally behind that sort of thing,

And your inner self will thank you dearly!

Photo by Dallas Reedy on Unsplash

Less Overthinking

And not only will your inner self thank you,

But your brain will, too.

Creating from your imperfect, human perspective,

Will always be easier than creating from ones you don’t believe.

It’s okay to stop short of the full perspective.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not okay for a scientific study,

But most creators aren’t trying to prove anything with facts!

Our articles aren’t going to be referenced in an academic journal,

So it’s okay that your logic is flawed or has holes from time to time.

More Feedback

Obviously, if you feel plugging the whole will help the message, do it.

BUT,

If you are covering your bases just so you aren’t wrong?

You’re missing out!

Having holes in logic leads to valuable engagement!

People will naturally want to tell you their opinions,

Agree or disagree.

From just these responses alone,

You can identify what people like to talk about.

But if you try to say it ALL with each post, what’s left to discuss?

When people see that you have a flaw,

They don’t feel the need to be perfect to speak to you!

More Freedom

By being imperfect, you give yourself permission to be human,

And in turn, you can take your mind wherever you want to go.

No longer boxed into discussing topics you know everything about,

You can write about the ones that interest you,

Even if you have incomplete data.

You no longer have to create with a “matter of fact” attitude.

Things will begin to just flow from your brain,

Because you gave your brain the go-ahead to delimit itself.

Photo by Miltiadis Fragkidis on Unsplash

Reflection

The best content is human content.

It’s the only thing that will separate us from AI,

We won’t be able to out-pace it,

All we have is our humanity.

And for now,

That’s something it can’t compete with.

Let the real you show in your work.

Acknowledge that you are a work in progress,

And create without any care in the world.

You’ll thank yourself later…

Thank you for your time!

I write to all the introverts out there,

Searching for ways to build up their personal brands.

Let’s leverage the uniqueness of our minds to build something great!

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Subscribe to my substack (I post daily!)

I hope these lessons can bring you value!

Thanks for reading!