When I started my consulting business 3 years ago, I sent a launch email to everyone I knew.
I was both excited and nervous to hit send – shit was getting real!
Shortly after I sent the email, I started receiving some messages letting me know that had I misspelled the name of my company in the email.
Yup, you read that correctly. I MISSPELLED THE NAME OF MY OWN COMPANY. ?
My first reaction was total embarrassment. I wondered how anyone would hire me or take me seriously when I couldn’t even spell the name of my company correctly?!
I had read and re-read the email probably 20 times before sending it, proofreading it and checking for errors. And I had even had someone else review it too. Neither of us caught the mistake.
Shortly thereafter, my inner critic came out and I felt even worse; I felt stupid, careless and like a total amateur.
After going down this rabbit hole of self-loathing, I began to get some perspective: this was actually a minor oversight.
Fortunately, I wasn’t in the business of selling editing or copywriting services, so a spelling error in my launch email, while unfortunate, wasn’t indicative of my ability to be a successful consultant.
I reminded myself that I was still pretty kick-ass at advising companies on growth strategy and business development, even if sometimes I couldn’t spell my own name correctly. ?
I decided at that moment that I wasn’t going to hide and punish myself for a silly screw-up.
I decided I was going to bring it and promote my business and be ok with making mistakes along the way.
Six months and a few mistakes later, I was running a six-figure business.
My story isn’t unique.
People make mistakes (and survive them) all the time.
And many times, we beat ourselves up for these mistakes unnecessarily.
As women, we are especially hard on ourselves.
We tend to expect more out of ourselves than we do out of other people.
Even if we say we are ok not being perfect, we are also not ok messing up.
It’s great to have high standards, but sometimes perfectionist tendencies and the inner critic that emerges when we make a mistake can really hold us back.
This tension between wanting to go for more in your career but not wanting to be seen making a mistake along the way is very real.
If you’re striving to get to that next level in your career, you are undoubtedly going to have to take risks and actions that take you out of your comfort zone.
You will have to try things for the first time.
You will have to become more visible.
Taking this leap to something greater than your current situation is a choice.
This choice alone paralyzes some people from moving forward.
Some people stick with the status quo because it’s safe.
They know what’s expected and find security in knowing how to do their job without making mistakes.
They aren’t necessarily fulfilled or happy. But dammit, they are prepared (and can probably do their job in their sleep at this point)!
I’m not knocking people who get comfortable in their jobs and don’t want to move up the career ladder.
That trajectory is not for everyone.
But what if deep down you DO want more from your career? What if you want something different?
If you’ve ever thought about this, what are you doing to make this happen?
What’s your timeline?
What fears are holding you back?
What will you do if you make a mistake?
And, believe me, you will. Because we all make mistakes. No one is perfect.
Badass women know that perfect is the enemy of the good.
Badass women don’t let perfectionist tendencies or the fear of failure or mistakes paralyze us from taking chances, increasing our visibility and going for what we want.
Badass women also still make mistakes. Because we’re human like everyone else.
But badass women handle mistakes differently. We have enough confidence to know that a mistake here and there doesn’t define us. And won’t stop us from getting what we want.
In my 7 Day Boot Camp To Unlock Your Inner Badass, I share the strategies and techniques badass women employ to propel their career forward, even when it can be scary and lead to a misstep or two along the way.
Over 7 days, I equip you with the tools to change your limiting beliefs, habits and behaviors that are keeping you stuck in the status quo.
At the end of the week, we have a 1:1 coaching session to create accountability and solidify your plan to move forward.
To learn more and sign up for my boot camp, click here.
I’m so excited for you to see what’s possible when you let go of perfect and just go for what you want! ?
Originally published at www.mosaicgrowth.com