Success is not about achieving perfection or relying solely on motivation and willpower — it’s about consistency in your efforts. I’ve learned that imperfect consistency is far more effective than waiting for perfection, in health, in business, in every area of life.
Many successful people are perfectionists. At the same time, they have the ability to say “Done is Better Than Perfect” and just complete and wrap up a project. What is the best way to overcome the stalling and procrastination that perfectionism causes? How does one overcome the fear of potential critique or the fear of not being successful? In this interview series, called “How To Get Past Your Perfectionism And ‘Just Do It’, we are interviewing successful leaders who can share stories and lessons from their experience about “how to overcome the hesitation caused by perfectionism. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lindsey Kaszuba.
Lindsey is a certified Health & Habit Coach with a focus of empowering ambitious women to create SIMPLE health routines that stick — no overwhelm, just results. She focuses on integrating health and lifestyle through nutrition, movement, mindset, and habit formation, with an emphasis on creating simple shifts in order to eat without guilt and workout without it being a chore or form of punishment. Lindsey lives in New York City with her husband, three daughters, and Italian Greyhound. She loves fashion, skincare, traveling, deep connections, her morning coffee, and all things self-development.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
Thank you for having me!
From an early age, I was obsessed with perfectionism — constantly experimenting with different diets, workout regimens, and healing modalities. And when they weren’t perfect, I’d move on to the next. But the driving force behind it all was misguided — an obsession with looking a certain way and hitting an arbitrary number on the scale, rather than truly feeling my best. It was a relentless pursuit of the “perfect” appearance, at the expense of my inner wellbeing. However, over time, I experienced a huge shift in my perspective on health. I began to view it as something far more holistic — encompassing so much more than just what we eat and how we move. The focus moved away from rigid rules and punishing regimens and towards intuitive guidance and habits that felt genuinely nourishing to my body. To me, health was no longer about staying a specific number on the scale, but about tuning into my body’s inner wisdom and crafting a lifestyle that allowed me to truly thrive from the inside out.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite “life lesson” quote is: “What you focus on grows.” This has been incredibly powerful in my journey towards intuitive, holistic health. For years, I obsessed over strict food rules and rigid exercise routines to control my body, but that intense focus on perfection only created more anxiety and shame. It wasn’t until I shifted my focus to learning to trust myself around food, listening to my body’s cues, and practicing self-compassion that I was able to find food freedom. And there was a lot of imperfectness along the way!
By directing my energy towards what my body really needed versus what I’d been conditioned to want, I started to create a positive relationship with myself and with food. This quote reminds me that what I give energy to is what expands — when I invested my energy in strict rules, I continued to find disconnection, but when I focused on tuning into what my body really needed, my health started becoming a simple part of my life.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
There have been many, but one of my all-time favorites is the Holstee Manifesto. Are you familiar with it? You’ve got to check it out!
It says…
“This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often. If you don’t like something, change it. If you don’t like your job, quit. If you don’t have enough time, stop watching tv. If you are looking for the love of your life, stop. They will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love. Stop over analyzing, all emotions are beuatiful. When you eat, appreciate every last bite. Life is Simple. Open your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people, we are united in our differences. Ask the next person you see what their passion is, and share your inspiring dream with them. Travel often, getting lost will help you find yourself. Some opportunities only come once, seize them. Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them so go out and start creating. Life is short. Live your dream and share your passion.”
Now that I think of it, this manifesto really inspired so much of my journey and my career path. Funny to put that together, literally in this moment!
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Courage, consistency, and confidence. I refer to these as the three C’s. I would be stuck in the past if I didn’t embrace these three things. I think the combination of them is so important for making change.
Courage allowed me to take the leap and leave the corporate world to start my own health coaching practice, despite the potential of failure. Consistency meant showing up daily to create content, engage with my audience, and deliver a great experience for my clients — even when it felt like no one was seeing me or what I put out into the world. Confidence helps me overcome imposter syndrome, back myself and my abilities, and continue to drill down a message that truly resonates with my audience. Embodying courage to take calculated risks and escape perfectionism, consistency in my efforts to provide real value over validation, and confidence in myself was a powerful combination that has propelled me forward in so many ways.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Let’s begin with a definition of terms so that each of us and our readers are on the same page. What exactly is a perfectionist? Can you explain?
To me, a perfectionist is someone who constantly tries for the most perfect result, setting extremely high and often unrealistic standards. This often ends up with procrastinating or worse, not creating anything at all out of the fear that it won’t be perfect.
Perfectionists have a hard time feeling satisfied because as soon as we accomplish one goal, we raise the bar even higher. There’s always a perpetual sense that more could be done to make something utterly flawless.
I consider myself a recovering perfectionist, so really resonate with this myself.
The premise of this interview series is making the assumption that being a perfectionist is not a positive thing. But presumably, seeking perfection can’t be entirely bad. What are the positive aspects of being a perfectionist? Can you give a story or example to explain what you mean?
You make a fair point — perfectionism isn’t entirely negative. I believe it can be a great motivator when balanced properly. My attention to detail and desire to think through every aspect of my work has allowed me to create comprehensive programs and out-of-the-box resources for my clients. The key to perfectionist tendencies is not letting them paralyze you with overwhelm, procrastination or self-criticism. As long as I can channel my perfectionism as a driver to deliver high-quality work without getting derailed by the negatives, then having those high personal standards is absolutely a positive.
What are the negative aspects of being a perfectionist? Can you give a story or example to explain what you mean?
One major negative aspect of being a perfectionist is the paralysis of inaction because things never feel “perfect enough.” I’m extremely guilty of this — agonizing for excessive amounts of time over making content, blog posts, resources, or program materials. I’ve reached a point where I now have an awareness over it and once I see it, I can pull myself in another direction or take a break before it burns me out. At some point, you have to let go and accept that done is better than perfect, even if it’s difficult for the perfectionist mindset.
From your experience or perspective, what are some of the common reasons that cause a perfectionist to “get stuck” and not move forward? Can you explain?
From my experience, one of the most common reasons perfectionists “get stuck” and fail to move forward is decision paralysis. We get so caught up in our own heads, endlessly weighing every possible option and angle, terrified of making the wrong choice or producing subpar work. The fear of imperfection becomes so overwhelming that it feels safer not to decide at all. But this indecision ultimately keeps us stuck where we are, preventing any sort of progress or growth. To break free from this cycle, perfectionists must learn to get out of their own way, trust their instincts, and be willing to take imperfect action. Something I am constantly working on is creating valuable resources for the sake of value, not for the sake of validation.
Here is the central question of our discussion. What are the five things a perfectionist needs to know to get past their perfectionism and “just do it?” Please share a story or example for each.
Here are five key things perfectionists need to understand to move past their perfectionism and take action:
- Success is not about achieving perfection or relying solely on motivation and willpower — it’s about consistency in your efforts. I’ve learned that imperfect consistency is far more effective than waiting for perfection, in health, in business, in every area of life.
- Be willing to take imperfect action — it’s what makes you human and relatable. People don’t connect with perfection; they connect with authenticity.
- Something is always better than nothing. Even the smallest step forward is progress. I used to think if I couldn’t execute something flawlessly, there was no point in attempting it at all. But I’ve since realized that even my “worst” effort is better than staying stuck. A less-than-perfect workout still benefits my health more than skipping it entirely.
- Learn to get out of your own head and just start. Perfectionists often get trapped in analysis paralysis, overthinking themselves into inaction. I’ve found that once I dive in, it’s easier to maintain momentum than if I never get started.
- Something that has helped me tremendously is to focus on the overall journey, not just the end result. Perfectionists tends to fixate on small missteps and blow them out of proportion, losing perspective on the big picture. The journey is never perfectly linear and you’ll always learn something along the way. Plus, when you focus on each step it’s far more enjoyable and the outcome could be so much better than you ever imagined.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I’m on a mission to cut through the noise and overwhelm surrounding health and wellness and reveal a powerful truth: taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be complicated. By embracing a few foundational habits like mindful eating, joyful movement, and a supportive mindset, we can transform our well-being without the stress and without adhering to strict diet culture norms. This movement is all about ditching the restrictive rules and learning to trust our own instincts again. It’s about finding pleasure in the everyday rituals of nourishing our bodies and minds. Imagine how different the world would be if we all committed to this simple, yet profound shift — listening to our unique needs and honoring ourselves with nourishing choices. That’s the change I want to ignite, one person at a time, until we’ve elevated our entire collective well-being. Because better health shouldn’t be complicated — it’s our birthright.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I would love to have lunch with Melissa Wood Tepperberg. I admire her as a human, as a mom, and as a businesswoman. So much of our stories are similar and she is just a breath of fresh air in the overcrowded online space.
How can our readers follow you online?
I’ve included my links below and would love to connect with you!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindseykaszubahealth/
Website: https://www.lindseykaszubahealth.com/
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Thank you so much for chatting with me!
This article was originally featured on Authority Magazine.
Do you consider yourself a perfectionist? Has perfectionism been a barrier to getting things done in the past? How do you overcome these hurdles?
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