Code & Life: Through the Lens of S. Ali Mousavi

One of the challenges perfectionism creates for us along the way — and I have to admit I’m dealing with it — is a lack of consistency. Even though I manage to start something simply, perfectionism still shows up when it comes to continuing.

A clear example is writing for this blog. I know writing a post takes me less than 15 minutes, yet all kinds of excuses get in the way: “What you’re about to write isn’t valuable enough,” “It’s just an ordinary idea,” and so on.

But the truth is, it’s not like that at all. It’s just my perfectionist mind making things harder with thoughts like: “You’re not ready to write, maybe later,” “It won’t turn out well like this, forget it,” “Now’s not the right time — wait for the perfect moment.”

Of course, perfectionism isn’t always the reason behind a lack of consistency. Sometimes, it might be things like poor planning, mental fatigue, or other issues.

Have you felt the same way before?

Understanding the problem means you’re already halfway to solving it. At least it means you know there is a problem. Perfectionism is one of those problems we might be suffering from without even realizing it—until we finally do. In this post, I want to go back to the day I realized that I was dealing with this issue.

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Perfectionism makes you get so caught up in endless thoughts of starting that you never actually continue. That’s exactly what kept me away from writing for so long. You have to have really good content, your blog has to be unique, and a bunch of other “musts” that eventually lead to procrastination—and you just don’t do it.
Procrastination doesn’t mean laziness; it means putting things off for “later,” when the right time comes—and well, there’s no guarantee when that time will show up!

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Today marks my 34th birthday, and I’ve decided to pursue one of my long-time interests: blogging. If someone asks me what my plan is for the new year, my answer is simple: “Letting go of perfectionism.” I’ve decided to gradually leave perfectionism behind and focus more on action instead.

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