The 3 Lies Makers Tell Themselves That Keep Them From Making Progress On Projects
Everyone has a long list of things they want to accomplish and Makers are no different with project lists.
When looking at a long list of projects, some likely already in progress, it is easier to lie to ourselves than knock one out. If you’re making things to sell or for clients, it’s easier to push through, but trickier when making things for yourself (or spouse). So we lie to ourselves, extending how long till projects are completed and wondering why we can’t seem to do anything about it.
Instead of feeding into these lies, here are my top 3 I have told myself overtime, how to recognize them, and ultimately overcome.
Lie 1: “I’m A Perfectionist”
You’re trying to figure out what a project should look like or what finishing touch to use, but want to make sure it’s “perfect.”
The reality is you just don’t want to make a decision and stick to it. There will always be something new that comes along or a new method that pops in your head. Part of being a Maker is learning as you continue building to make future projects better, not stuck on a single one waiting for perfection.
Instead of listening to the lie of perfection, recognize it doesn’t exist, make the best decision you can with the information you have available, and move on.
Lie 2: “I Don’t Feel Inspired”
When we go to Galaxy’s Edge, I get tons of ideas to build, but never feel the same inspiration once we get back home.
Most people imagine inspiration as this magical moment when the stars align, every perfect idea comes to you naturally, and you bask in the glory of your own amazing ideas. Reality check: that never happens. Inspiration is fickle and cannot be found if you are looking for it or waiting for it to strike, but comes when you’re actually DOING something (often unrelated).
Instead of waiting for inspiration to come to you, just get started with the project, get into a groove with it, and let inspiration find you naturally in the moment (but write it down).
Lie 3: “I Don’t Know What To Do Next”
Not knowing what to do feels terrible and can bring your project to a screeching halt.
This is the hardest lie I continue to struggle with (right now on 3 projects in fact). Not knowing what to do is usually a more subtle version of the “perfection” lie, where you aren’t consciously trying to be “perfect” but something just “doesn’t feel right yet.” What makes this lie worse is that “not right” is so general and subjective that it’s nearly impossible to achieve
Instead of generically saying that you don’t know what to do, be as specific as possible so that you can identify what you really don’t know and find a solution versus what you’re being a perfectionist about.
