Ditch Perfectionism: Why Messy Action Beats Doing Nothing

Ever skipped a workout and thought, "Well, might as well just give up and start over on Monday"? Or had one "cheat" meal and suddenly found yourself in a full-blown, eat-everything-in-sight spiral?

If that sounds familiar, congratulations—you’ve fallen into the All-or-Nothing Trap. It’s a not-so-exclusive club that many women over 40 belong to.

This little mind game convinces you that if you can’t do something perfectly, it’s not worth doing at all. And it’s keeping you stuck.

It’s exhausting. It’s frustrating. And let’s be real—it’s completely unnecessary.

Why Perfectionism is Your Worst Enemy

We’ve been fed a big lie for most of our lives: that success comes from perfectly executing a plan, never making mistakes, and having endless motivation. The truth? Success comes from consistency, not perfection.

Perfectionism doesn’t just make you feel bad—it actively prevents progress. Here’s how:

🚫 It paralyzes you before you even start. You wait for the "perfect time" (spoiler: it doesn’t exist, so never comes).

🚫 It sets impossible standards. The minute you fall short, your inner critic goes wild: “See? You can’t do this. Why even bother?”

🚫 It fuels the start-over cycle. Mess up once? Might as well quit and restart next week, next month, or next year. (Because obviously, that works so well…)

The Science Behind the Struggle

Your brain is wired to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and conserve energy. Perfectionism hijacks this by making progress feel unattainable. It convinces you that it’s better to stay in your comfort zone and avoid any ickiness that might come out of doing something different or scary.

The result? Overthinking instead of acting. Quitting instead of adjusting.

And let’s not forget the sunk-cost fallacy—the idea that if you’ve “messed up,” you may as well go all in on the self-sabotage. (“Already had a slice of cake? Might as well eat the whole thing.”)

Spoiler: This is B.S. Nonsense. Just plan silliness. 

The Lies Keeping You Stuck

🔥 Lie #1: You have to be motivated to start. 💡 Truth: Motivation follows action, not the other way around. Take one step, and momentum builds.

🔥 Lie #2: If you can’t do it perfectly, don’t bother. 💡 Truth: Messy action beats no action. Always.

🔥 Lie #3: You need the perfect plan before you start. 💡 Truth: Overplanning = procrastination. Progress happens through doing, not thinking about doing.

Breaking Free from the All-or-Nothing Trap

So, how do you break the cycle and actually start making progress? Simple: Make it smaller.

✅ Shrink the Goal: Instead of "I need to work out 5x a week," say: “I’ll move for 5 minutes today.”

✅ Track Wins, Not Perfection: Keep a "Done List" instead of a To-Do List. Celebrate progress, no matter how small.

✅ Act Like a Friend to Yourself: Would you tell a friend she’s a failure for skipping a workout? No? Then why do it to yourself?

✅ Drop the Monday Mindset: The best time to start isn’t Monday. It’s right now.

The Mic Drop Moment

Success isn’t about doing everything perfectly—it’s about doing some small thing, over and over again.

Embrace the mistakes, the hiccups, the failures - learn from them, don’t allow them to define you. It’s all part of the learning process, and avoiding these lessons and any discomfort they may bring, means you’ll never have the chance to grow and bring your amazing gifts to the world. 

You don’t need a fresh start. You need to take the next step. Right here. Right now.

What’s one small step you’re taking today? Let’s break free from perfectionism together. 💪