ish: The Problem with our Pursuit for Perfection and the Life-Changing Practice of Good Enough Posted on July 17, 2019 in Hot Keynote Topics

By Innovative Speaker Lynne Cazaly.

It’s natural to want to do well - at work, in study, in life, to do our best. 

But what happens when striving for the best becomes something more ... the pursuit of perfection? 

Perfectionism is on the rise and it has dire consequences for how we think and feel about ourselves and others, how we think, live, and work. Perfectionism has been seen to cause over-thinking, over-working, burnout, sleeplessness, and mental health problems like depression and anxiety. 

We can’t keep going like this! But what’s the alternative if it’s not perfect? After all, quality and high standards are important.

Lynne Cazaly uncovers how to think, work and achieve in clever ways adapted from the productive and creative worlds of software development … and improvisation.

These are explained in the book ‘ish: The Problem with our Pursuit for Perfection and the Life-Changing Practice of Good Enough’.

How do these fields of technology and performance get things done? How do they put their ideas out there? And what can we learn from them? 

In ‘ish’, Lynne Cazaly explains:

• The problem with pursuing perfection … and why we seek it
• The mental loop that traps you into thinking perfection is the answer
• The role of incremental work, imperfection and iteration in getting things done
• The idea of ‘ish’ - which means somewhat, near enough - and how to apply it to your life 
• 9 ways to think and work on projects, tasks or activities that provide a healthy and productive alternative to perfectionism.

Excellence, quality and continuous improvement are important. But the pursuit of perfection … not so much. Most of all, we need to identify when going for a high standard is important, and when it’s just a waste of our time and effort.

‘ish’ is a helpful alternative that guides you to making great progress and achieving what you want in life. 

Lynne is an international keynote speaker, author and a master facilitator. She is the author of 6 books. She works with executives, senior leaders and project teams on their major change and transformation projects. This includes working with agile practices, business agility improvements and digital transformations. If you'd like to know more about Lynne CLICK HERE or call us on 1300 55 64 69