Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done

by Jon Acuff

Only he doesn’t have any data to back that up, only memories and feelings and the chirping of perfectionism.

Our memories are constantly editing themselves and therefore are unreliable. Feelings are not much better. Chances are, the first time he lost that weight, it was very difficult.

If Jason had taken more points of data than just the scale, he could quiet the doubtful voice of perfectionism that crept into his progress review. Here are data points he missed: Pants size Shirt size BMI Number of times he jogged Number of miles he ran Number of times he worked with the trainer Food diary

Some of those data points would have shown progress, like pants size, while others would have proved process, like number of times he ran.

Most of us chase our goals this same way. The minute some action we’ve taken has left our hands, it’s gone, lost somewhere in the busyness of the day. How many inches have we lost during our diet? What percent of body fat? How many hours did we work out this week versus last week?

our salary grown over the last three years? How many total words did we write this summer versus last? How many dollars do we have saved up for our next vacation? Is our progress on this goal any different from the last goal?

So by those numbers we should expect 5 sales today with our 1,200-person launch.” That text message kept me off the ledge when we ended up selling only four courses that day.

As we said earlier, perfectionism is a desperate attempt to live up to impossible standards. Perfectionism will do anything to protect those impossible standards.

Better to tell you that if you step on the scale, you’ll be crushed by the weight you’ve gained instead of admitting a little data received, but not obsessed on, goes a long way toward changing things. Perfectionism would much rather you have some crazy magazine-cover

cover body as your goal. I love when the picture is a six foot two model and a headline that says, “HOW I GOT THIS BODY!” The article never mentions, “Well, my parents are both six foot three and I have to admit that helped with the whole long leg thing, but maybe you should do more squats.”

Data would tell us the truth and perfectionism can’t stand the truth. That’s why we hate data, because for years...

You have the same choice to listen to data, too. A hundred times a day, it is trying to tell you something. We assume it is trying to ruin our fun; we believe that data is the ultimate killjoy.

What if we’ve been looking at data the wrong way all these years? What if data wasn’t trying to ruin your day; it was trying to save your life? What if gathering even a little data could make a huge difference in your ability to knock out your goals? What if data was one of the best ways to kill perfectionism?

When you ignore data, you embrace denial.

We get mad because we focus on the wrong part of the phrase “Ignorance is bliss.” We think data is trying to ruin our bliss and miss that it’s actually trying to prevent us from being ignorant. Denial makes you ignorant.

The most troubling aspect of denial is that the only people we can’t recognize it in are ourselves.

Why did we discuss cutting our goals in half at the beginning of this book? Because perfectionism was using denial against us. Perfectionism wanted us to deny reality and chase goals so large we’d be crippled before we even started.

Your emotions cloud your judgment. They form a perfect smoke screen for denial, making your path in life feel murky and confusing.

Data doesn’t lie, though. It is not swayed by emotion. It is not subject to the drunken whims of feelings. Disaster is always the final destination of denial.

Data kills denial, which prevents disaster. But only if you’ll listen to it.

But chefs are artists and artists are prone to perfectionism.

In the same way that perfectionism demanded we chase goals bigger than we could really accomplish, perfectionism told this chef only the most expensive Scotch would do. Cheaper Scotches don’t count.

In fact, by the end of this book, as you sprint toward your goal, that will be a phrase you find yourself saying out loud: “It’s just data.”

That’s one of the great things about data. It’s a shame killer.

Perfectionism marched a parade down Steve’s street, but data blew up each float with the truth.

Data won’t allow shame to take root.

But there’s a danger in overfocusing on the finish line. When you do, you lose the power of seeing how far you’ve come.

It’s a lot more encouraging to look at where you’ve come from than where you’re headed when in the middle of a goal.

Has the progress changed? Not really, the number is the same, but your interpretation of it is very different. Dan Sullivan, a well-known marketing expert, says that entrepreneurs often struggle with this. They don’t just overfocus on the finish line; they move their horizon, never actually hitting their goal because they keep changing the definition of success.

Trying to finish any goal is like running uphill. At the top is the finish line and in the middle it feels so far away. If you stare up the hill, it’s easy to get discouraged. You’ll never reach that moment. Fitting into that old dress feels impossible. An empty, clean garage you can park in seems unreachable. Seeing your finished book on a real shelf in a real bookstore feels unrealistic. The distance is simply too much.

But look at zero. Look at the starting line. Look at the bottom of the hill. Do you see how far you’ve come? Do you see how much progress you’ve made? Do you see what you’ve done already? You will, but only if you measure it.

What if you want to measure something that’s more specific to your goal? What if you want to use data to tear down the phantom of perfectionism that ruins most of your goals? Here are twenty-three things you can keep track of: Time invested

Money earned

Products sold

Pounds lost

Inches

Garbage bags full of stuff

Books sold

Pages or words written

Miles run

Steps

E-mail subscribers

Followers on a social media platform

Meals made

Money saved

Debt paid off

Dates with a spouse

Prospects contacted

Hours slept

Thank-you notes mailed