Are you an eco-friendly and ethical biz owner suffering from sustainable perfectionism? That post is for you! I usually speak to eco-warriors and activists but I felt called to offer mindset shifts and exercises for overcoming perfectionism as conscious entrepreneurs. I know you’re here and I know you also fight for a better world!
Since I started Attitude Organic and began coaching changemakers, I have been chatting with various small sustainable brands founders. I could not help but to notice some recurrent limiting stories and disempowering thoughts spinning in your minds.
Let me share with you, beautiful souls, some of those thoughts, my perspectives and mindset exercises to do your own work around those beliefs.
What is Sustainable Perfectionism?
Before we dive into our 3 tips for overcoming perfectionism, I would like to explain what I call “Sustainable Perfectionism”. I picture it on the opposite end of greenwashing. A business owner that suffers from that type of perfectionism tries to tick all the sustainable boxes at the same time: being 100% vegan, 100% cruelty-free, 100% zero waste, 100% recyclable, recycled, compostable, upcycled, 100% organic, 100% made and sourced where it sells its products or delivers its services, 100% ethical, 100% eco-friendly, donating 100% of its profit, capturing 100% of CO2 during the manufacturing process and so on. You’ve got my point? Such entrepreneurs NEEDS to do it all perfectly.
Take a look at my personal checklist when I shop from a fashion brand.
How is sustainable perfectionism an issue?
Sustainable perfectionists, like you, want to tick all the sustainable boxes in order to feel legit. While that is so beautiful and proof that you truly care about the environment (vs. big brand practicing greenwashing), it is limiting you.
Whether you like it or not, our world is not sustainable yet! Expecting to be 100% sustainable is impossible and it keeps you from launching or growing your business. A biz that could make our world even only 1% better! You, not taking imperfect actions, harms all of us, as a collective.
Could you see that? If not yet, open up your mind for only one second. Could you stay with that thought and believe it for just one sec?
Perfectionism is holding you back my love. Here is how I see it: no product is sustainably perfect and that’s ok. Make the best you can FOR NOW and keep improving your products, manufacturing processes and supply chain as a whole to make them as eco-friendly and ethical as you can.
First Tip For Overcoming Perfectionism: Dig Into Your Subconscious Mind!
Are you still resisting the perspective shift I offered? That’s ok! Let me ask you a few questions. I don’t expect you to have the answers right now because you need to chew on them. I highly recommend that you take some time to journal about the following.
- If your product is not ticking all the sustainable boxes, what does it mean ABOUT YOU?
- What do you make it mean about you?
- What story are you telling yourself?
- Is that story true?
- Look closer, are you 100% sure that the story is true?
- Where does that need for perfectionism come from?
Have you taken your journal yet? I am serious, after reading that blog post, stop scrolling, go journal, you’ll thank me later. Actually, I’d love to know what comes up for you doing that exercise so send me a dm or an email, remind me of that blog post and let’s chat.
Second Tip For overcoming Perfectionism: Looking Into Your Fear Of Judgment And Doing Projection Work!
The fear of being judged is a common block, directly related to perfectionism. Often, we want to be perfect so we are not poorly judged by others. I get it, I have been there!
However, from my point of view as a customer and as a conscious human being, no brand is perfect. I tolerate that they are not, because I understand that our world, society and economy are not made for sustainability (YET). Thus I don’t expect ALL brands to tick ALL the sustainable boxes.
What I need is the brand to try the best it can, to be transparent and honest about what they do and hear about their limitations and their future solutions to fix it! When I see that, I can feel compassion, I am able to admire the effort and value the brand.
If you are worried you will be judged, I’d like to offer you a projection work exercise. Most of the time, we are scared of being judged for specific reasons because we already judge ourselves for them. For example: if you are insecure about your body, you’ll be a lot more sensitive to people’s perception of it. Whereas, if you are confident about it, even critics will not touch you.
So if you are worried about people judging your sustainable practices as a business:
- What are you judging yourself for?
- Where do you feel like you and your business are lacking?
- What parts are you not yet fully accepting or embracing?
- And how can you bring more compassion to that part of you or your business AND find solutions (aka the sustainable fix for it)?
Again, go journal on this!
Last Tip For Overcoming Perfectionism: Stop Misjudging Your Customers
Let me ask you one question that might shock you a little bit! What if (just what if) your customers were actually not as bitchy as you think they are? What if they cared about your brand and loved your story so much (given that you are honest and transparent ofc) that they can be on board? Just where you are now, even imperfect, and where you wanna go, the next step in your sustainable development plan.
Maybe you should give your peeps more credit! They know how to make informed decisions, they know what their sustainable priorities are and they can support heart based businesses that have the best intentions. Remember that we have integrated BS radars – as Peta Kelly says in one of my fav books: Earth is hiring.
Before I wrap up, this whole post is NOT an encouragement to greenwash anyone! I am pretty sure that you’re reading that post because you feel some guilt and no greenwasher would feel that way. Everything I shared here works only if you practice radical transparency within your business and that your intentions really are to reduce your impact on Mother Earth and not to make more sales, surfing a trend.
If you enjoyed that free content and got value out of it, imagine what it would look like for us to work together on your mindset! If you are interested in joining my 1:1 coaching container for sustainable business owners and changemakers, fill that form or send me a DM on insta and I’ll get back to you ASAP!
