You probably noticed I did some webinars last week :).

Those of you who attended the Tuesday session already know that the technology was NOT in our favor. Slides wouldn’t share, I had to reset and ended up speaking while the slides were teeny tiny on the screen.  It ended up fine, but not the experience I wanted, and I had to punt.

In the moment, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to deliver the webinar. Sure, I know this content in and out, but spit-balling it in a random order is not a great plan for helping people learn how to make major change, and offering content that makes an impact and is actually useful is a chief value of mine in my business.

As I was struggling with the tech, along with all the “WTFs, this worked yesterday, what is happening??“ thoughts, I also had these:

“I can reschedule.”
“No, I can’t.”
“I can just hold up the printed copies of my slides!”
“That would be really weird, Hecht.”
“This is a disaster.”
“You know, this is no big deal.”

It helped so much that the webinar participants were cheering me on and being so kind and encouraging about it, and in the end, so what that I shared the slides in a tiny box next to my big head. I’m just glad I brushed my hair :).

And it ended up being a PERFECT Imposter Complex teachable moment, which is precisely what I pointed out as I was struggling with getting the technology going. Perfectionism is one of the chief ways that Imposter Complex can show up for high achievers. The need to be flawlessly perfect, to not mess up, to not leave room for criticism can hold us back from trying. It certainly has for me. We worry about everything being just so, and what will happen if it’s not. That people will talk about us behind our backs, that they will laugh at us, and that we may die of embarrassment.

Guess what?! I did not die of embarrassment.  And I got to have a good laugh with the very encouraging and supportive attendees while in the midst of a real-time, unplanned demo on how unimportant perfection is, before I just shrugged on the technology and said, “let’s GO.”

And also, want the straight truth on being perfect? Yeah, that’s not even a real thing. It’s an unattainable, finish line in constant flux, kind of a thing. The perfect breeding ground for imposter complex.