Hold That Thought

This week I've been thinking about perfectionism (and its circle of disruptive companions). Here are three things on that theme to turn mental energy into meaningful action:

1. An “ant mill” is when a group of army ants lose their scent trail, get separated from their main colony, and begin to follow each other in a never-ending loop until they die of exhaustion. It's a horrifically apt metaphor for the thinking loops that derail us from our paths and lead to burnout. And it starts with perfectionism​
   ​
2. “Good enough is good enough, and arbitrary markers of success are just video game numbers deemed important by a warped society that’s profoundly sicker than either you or I.” — a decision-making matrix for the all the rest of the bits in the Perfectionism Loop
   ​
3. “Moving forward at 70% takes more guts, more strength of character, than holding out for 100%, because it entails moving forward amid uncertainty, anxiety, and the disagreeable feeling that comes with putting less-than-perfect work into the world. ” — thoughts from The Imperfectionist on the 70% rule​

For this week's underthinking link: go ahead, try to draw a perfect circle

Extra thoughts…

​Last week, I shared my strengths profile, with a top strength of Detail. Did you do one? If so, what was your top strength and how is that showing up in your life?

In other, somewhat related news, I've taken on a small side project involving editing/ghostwriting. And you know what? I'm LOVING IT. I want more like this.

It‘s a great way for me to indulge in detail without getting lost in it. That's partly because I'm invested in the outcome, but it's not a creation with my name on it. I'm noticing that this shifts my attachment in a positive direction.

In other words, it's a nice way to do meaningful work while practicing letting go of perfectionism.

Do you have something you could use some support with, content-wise or otherwise? Let's have a quick chat about it! Reply here or pick a time!

Hitting publish at 70% but 100% here for you,
Kim

---

If you have been enjoying Hold That Thought, here are two quick ways you might support me: share a thought or send me a pebble.

As always, you can find other content from me here:

• ​My links and current projects​
• ​Worksheets and other free tools​
• ​My Medium articles. I also curate many useful lists​
• The latest insights on my blog​

Hope you enjoy these things as much as I do creating and sharing them!

---

Hello! I'm Kim and I’ve spent over four decades overthinking absolutely everything. Here's how I made sense of it all.