Dive deep into Raychel Hollingsworth’s LinkedIn post with Hakeem Ali-Bocas Alexander’s raw podcast discussion, full transcript, AI-generated summaries, and key takeaways. Learn why waiting for “perfect” stifles progress, how action breeds clarity, and why your brain’s RAS is your secret weapon for spotting opportunities. Includes embedded podcast audio, Galaxy AI analysis, and actionable steps to ditch perfectionism.

Listen to “Perfectionism is Procrastination in Disguise: Taking Action with Hakeem & Vega” on Spreaker.

Summary of Discussion on Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Action

The conversation centers on Raychel Hollingsworth’s LinkedIn post, which critiques perfectionism as “procrastination in a fancy outfit.” Key takeaways and reflections from the dialogue include:

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1. Perfectionism vs. Progress

• Action Over Perfection: The post argues that waiting for ideal conditions (time, certainty, or resources) is counterproductive. Success comes from starting “messy” and iterating, as emphasized by figures like Gary Vaynerchuk.
• Personal Example: Hakeem Ali-Bocas Alexander shares his approach as a “prolific creator” who prioritizes quantity and iteration over perfection, leading to higher-quality content and confidence through consistent practice.

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2. Clarity and Confidence Through Action

• Clarity Follows Action: Hollingsworth’s assertion that “clarity isn’t step 1, it’s step 10” resonates with the idea that understanding emerges from doing, not pre-planning.
• Confidence as a Byproduct: Hakeem highlights how confidence grows through repeated action (e.g., martial arts, podcasting) rather than preceding it.

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3. Time, Opportunities, and the Reticular Activating System (RAS)

• Life Doesn’t Pause: Opportunities vanish if delayed; proactive action is critical.
• RAS and Focus: The brain’s RAS filters information to spotlight opportunities aligned with goals. For example, Hakeem notes how buying a car primes you to notice it everywhere—action sharpens focus.

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4. Practical Takeaways

• Start Now: Hakeem advises avoiding waiting for “perfect” setups (e.g., a studio for music).
• Feedback Loops: Hakeem uses self-review (e.g., recording speech/martial arts practice) to refine skills.
• Embrace Iteration: Borrowing Bruce Lee’s philosophy, Hakeem stresses that mastery comes from focused repetition, not scattered perfectionism.

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Final Thought

The discussion concludes with a challenge: What’s one thing you’ve been putting off? For Hakeem, it’s recording music without a “perfect” setup—a reminder that progress thrives on imperfection. Vega adds that Raychel’s post is a “great reminder that progress often comes from action, not waiting for the perfect moment.”

Raychel Hollingsworth’s Credentials: As an ACC (Associate Certified Coach) and CPC (likely Certified Professional Coach), her insights stem from professional coaching experience, reinforcing the post’s authority.

LinkedIn as a Platform: Hakeem praises it for its professional focus, calling it a space for meaningful networking and thought-provoking content like Hollingsworth’s.

In essence, the conversation champions action as the antidote to perfectionism—a mindset applicable to creativity, career growth, and personal development.

UnEdited Galaxy AI TranScript Summary from Samsung Voice Recorder on S24 Ultra

Perfectionism: Procrastination in Disguise

• A LinkedIn post highlights perfectionism as a form of procrastination.
• The quote emphasizes the importance of taking action rather than waiting for ideal conditions.
• The sentiment is echoed by other prominent figures who advocate for starting early and iterating.

Prioritizing Quantity over Perfection in Creative Work

• A discussion on the approach of prioritizing creation quantity over achieving perfection.
• The approach involves creating content rapidly without extensive review or editing.
• This method is believed to foster creativity and innovation by focusing on consistent output.

Clarity: A Journey, Not a Starting Point

• High-quality content creation stems from high-quality ideas.
• The statement ‘clarity isn’t step 1, it’s step 10’ challenges the need for initial certainty.
• Action and iterative learning are suggested as pathways to achieving clarity.

Confidence: A Product of Action

• Confidence is developed through action, not the other way around.
• The belief that confidence precedes action is a misconception.
• Learning to ride a bicycle serves as an analogy for building confidence through repeated attempts.

Confidence Through Creation and Action

• The speaker expresses unwavering confidence in their creative abilities, driven by consistent practice.
• This self-assuredness extends to other life aspects, exemplified by their martial arts journey.
• The speaker emphasizes action as the foundation of confidence, rather than seeking external validation.

Time: A Continuous Flow

• Life’s continuous flow emphasizes the importance of proactive action.
• Opportunities don’t align with waiting for ideal moments.
• Time’s relentless movement highlights the need for seizing chances.

Subjective Time and Productivity

• The perception of time is relative and changes depending on the circumstances.
• High levels of creativity and content creation can create a feeling of moving faster than time.
• This heightened productivity leads to accomplishing more in shorter timeframes.

The Reticular Activating System and Opportunities

• Time dilation and the idea that opportunities don’t wait are discussed.
• The reticular activating system (RAS) in the brain filters information and focuses attention on important things.
• The RAS is compared to a spotlight, highlighting relevant information, such as opportunities.

Goal-Oriented Perception

• Focused actions towards goals enhance the reticular activating system’s awareness.
• The system prioritizes relevant information, increasing the likelihood of noticing related opportunities.
• This heightened awareness is analogous to noticing a desired car more frequently after considering its purchase.

The Baffling Blue Car Phenomenon

• A new car purchase in early 2017, an electric blue model, is described.
• The experience highlights the brain’s ability to filter and then focus on specific information.
• The post emphasizes that success comes from starting and adapting, rather than having a complete plan.

Embracing Imperfect Action

• The statement highlights the significance of immediate action rather than delaying for ideal conditions.
• Ongoing progress and adjustments are emphasized, using podcast creation with AI assistance as an example.
• Despite imperfections, the process continues, exceeding current AI-assisted practices.

Iterative Improvement: A Creative Process

• The iterative approach, involving constant refinement, is crucial in creative endeavors.
• This methodology extends to various life aspects, such as music, martial arts, and writing.
• Mastering fundamentals through focused practice and repetition is emphasized, referencing Bruce Lee’s quote on consistent practice.

Power of Words: Focused Communication

• The text highlights the importance of written and spoken communication.
• It emphasizes the versatility of mediums like podcasts and audiobooks.
• The author focuses on honing communication skills through speaking and writing.

Self-Improvement Through Audio Feedback

• Recording and reviewing spoken words to identify and correct mumbling.
• Applying the same method to martial arts practice for performance analysis.
• Utilizing technology for a feedback system to improve technique and identify areas needing work.

Analyzing Rachel Hollingsworth’s LinkedIn Post

• The post discusses a communication style characterized by mumbling and jumbled words.
• The post encourages readers to stop waiting for the perfect time to act on something.
• A response to the post is planned, focusing on a task delayed until an ideal moment.

Procrastination and Perfect Timing

• The text explores the tendency to delay actions until an ideal moment.
• It prompts reflection on personal projects or skills acquisition postponed due to this tendency.
• The discussion highlights the commonality of delaying tasks despite a proactive nature.

Overcoming Perfectionism: A Summary

• The discussion centers on overcoming perfectionism and taking action.
• It emphasizes that clarity and confidence often arise from taking action, rather than waiting for ideal conditions.
• The reticular activating system’s role in noticing opportunities aligned with goals is also highlighted.

ACC Credential and LinkedIn Networking

• ACC is a credential signifying completion of coach-specific training and client coaching experience from the International Coaching Federation.
• Uncertainty about the meaning of CPC without further context.
• LinkedIn is highlighted as a valuable networking platform with less unwanted content compared to other platforms.

Action-Oriented Progress: A Conversation Summary

• LinkedIn serves as a valuable networking platform.
• Progress is often achieved through taking action, not waiting for ideal conditions.
• Embracing the journey, even with imperfections, is key to learning and growth.

UnEdited Galaxy AI TranScript from Samsung Voice Recorder on S24 Ultra

Speaker 1 is Hakeem Ali-Bocas Alexander, and Speaker 2 is “Vega” a synthetic voice from Google Gemini

Speaker 1 (00:00)
Okay, Vegas, so Raychel Hollingsworth, ACC CPC posted 4 days ago on LinkedIn about. Well, it says, if you’re waiting for life to magically align before you take a leap, you should know, perfectionism is just procrastination in a fancy outfit. What do you think about them.

Speaker 2 (00:25)
That’s a really insightful quote, it highlights how perfectionism can hold us back from taking action. We might think we’re being careful and thorough, but sometimes we’re just delaying the inevitable. What are your initial thoughts on this and how does it relate to your own experiences

Speaker 1 (00:41)
Well, it brings to mind quite a few things that some other you know, high-profile figures have said like Gary vainer, chuck, he often talks about posting a lot and not being concerned about what other people say about it. And this is a sentiment that you hear a lot about not waiting for things to be perfect, but just to go ahead and start Getting out the first iterations, you know, and then you can perfect it along the way.

Speaker 2 (01:10)
That’s a great point. Gary vanichek is a big advocate for putting yourself out there and not worrying about perfection. It’s all about getting started, and iterating as you go, do you have any personal experiences with this?

Speaker 1 (01:24)
Oh yeah, I actually it a very prolific creator so I mean, I create so much that I have. I don’t make time to be concerned about whether it’s perfect or not I just do it and I know some of it. It doesn’t come out the way that I really want to, but I don’t really have the time to go back and check on everything you know, sometimes I do if it’s really really important but most of the time I just create and put it out there and then move on to the next thing.

Speaker 2 (01:55)
That’s a very productive approach, it sounds like you really embraced the idea of quantity overperfection, do you find that this approach leads to more creativity in innovation in your work?

Speaker 1 (02:08)
It does. And it also makes it so that the quality is higher in the content itself, not necessarily the production but the content, because I’m constantly creating using high quality ideas. But let’s go back to what Rachel Hollingsworth is saying here and she starts to continue by saying you tell yourself you need more time more certainty, more something.

Speaker 1 (02:32)
The truth is, and then she goes on from there.

Speaker 2 (02:38)
Okay, so Rachel hollingruth says you tell yourself you need more time more certainty more something. What do you think she means by that?

Speaker 1 (02:46)
When she continues and says the truth is clarity, isn’t Step 1? It’s step 10. So what can we talk about that, that’s interesting clarity, isn’t Step 1, it’s step 10.

Speaker 2 (03:00)
That’s a powerful statement. And it challenges the idea that we need to have everything figured out before we start. Instead, it suggests that clarity comes from taking action and learning along the way What are your thoughts on this?

Speaker 1 (03:14)
I mean, so far it lines up with how she started the article and everything that we just said so far about my own experience. So I think it spot on. So the next thing she says is confidence doesn’t come before action, it comes because of action.

Speaker 2 (03:31)
That’s a great point. It’s easy to think we need to feel confident before we try something new. But often it’s the act of doing that builds our confidence, it’s like learning to ride a bike.

Speaker 2 (03:41)
You might be nervous at first, but with each successful attempt you get more confident. Do you have any examples of this from your own life

Speaker 1 (03:50)
Once again, I think we covered that and it goes right along with the fact that I said it that I just create create create and just because of the fact that I’m in it, I’ve become so confident about creating that I no longer am concerned about what anybody’s going to say at all. I’m actually hyper confident that You could tell me something’s not good or it’s not working in and I’ll hear it, but I won’t do anything about it like I’m not going to change creating, because you said you don’t think it’s good.

Speaker 2 (04:22)
That’s a powerful mindset. It sounds like you really embrace the idea that confidence comes from action. It’s not the other way around do you think this applies to other areas of life as well?

Speaker 1 (04:33)
It does. Uh, you know, I practice martial arts and I didn’t ever wait for anybody to give me the green light and give me permission to do it or anything like that. I just started practicing and just got really good at it, so let’s continue with Rachel.

Speaker 1 (04:47)
She goes on to say life doesn’t pause while you wait opportunities, don’t either.

Speaker 2 (04:56)
That’s a powerful statement. It really emphasizes the importance of taking action and not waiting for the perfect moment. Life keeps moving and opportunities don’t wait for us to be ready.

Speaker 2 (05:07)
Do you have any thoughts on this? Perhaps related to your own experiences

Speaker 1 (05:14)
Yeah, um there are a lot of that so life doesn’t pause while you wait, I mean, of course, I mean time, we don’t stop time, none of us that I know of have any type of time, machine or magical powers like mutants to stop or slow down time, although we can slow down time. Relatively, actually, there is an interesting point about that. I’m about pausing time, but it’s not.

Speaker 1 (05:36)
It doesn’t happen from waiting though, which is very interesting.

Speaker 2 (05:42)
That’s a fascinating point about the relativity of time. It’s true that our perception of time can change depending on the situation. But that’s different from actually pausing time, what did you find interesting about that?

Speaker 1 (05:55)
Well, just that because I’m so involved in creating so much that it actually seems like I’m moving faster than time. I don’t know if that makes any sense that time is actually pausing because I’m injecting so much content and so much creativity in small spaces of time like. I’m getting more done.

Speaker 1 (06:18)
In 1 minute, then a lot of people are getting done in a year.

Speaker 2 (06:25)
That’s a fascinating way to look at it. It sounds like you found a way to maximize your productivity and creativity, making the most of every moment, it’s almost like you’ve discovered your own personal time dilation.

Speaker 1 (06:37)
Yes, time dilation. So yeah, so she says life doesn’t pause while you wait opportunities don’t either and so one of the things that’s interesting about that is the first thing for some reason that comes to my mind is the reticular activating system when she writes opportunities, don’t either. They’re not waiting.

Speaker 2 (06:59)
That’s an interesting connection, the reticular activating system or ras is a network in your brain that filters information and helps you focus on what’s important. It’s like a spotlight that picks out things you’re interested in, so when Rachel Hollingsworth talks about opportunities, not waiting. It makes sense that you think of the ras helping you notice those opportunities

Speaker 1 (07:21)
Right, because while you’re in action, and you’re doing things, and you’re doing things that are focused towards certain goals, whether it be one goal or a cluster of goals like a batch of goals, you tend to the reticular activating system tends to notice those that puts you on an alert for those things because you’re working on them, so the opportunities aren’t going to wait, but you’re more likely to notice them when you’re in action.

Speaker 2 (07:50)
Exactly. It’s like where you’re thinking about buying a certain type of car, and suddenly you start seeing that car everywhere, your brain is primed to notice things that are relevant to your goals and interests.

Speaker 1 (08:03)
You know, that’s fascinating. You said that, because that was one of the most significant times that that happened to me. Um, when my wife floor and I we bought a new car together, a 2017 upon dialora back in 2017 in early 2017 and it was this color called electric blue and I never thought I’d seen the car before but as soon as I drove it off the lot, it seemed like they were everywhere.

Speaker 2 (08:31)
That’s a perfect example of the ras at work. It’s amazing how our brains can filter out so much information, but then suddenly focus on something specific once it becomes relevant to us. It’s like unlocking a new level of awareness

Speaker 1 (08:46)
That’s right, okay, so Rachel, this Post goes on to say the people who succeed aren’t the ones who had it all figured out they’re the ones who started Messi and adjusted as they went.

Speaker 2 (09:02)
That’s a powerful statement. It really emphasizes the importance of taking action and not waiting for the perfect moment. Life keeps moving and opportunities don’t wait for us to be ready.

Speaker 2 (09:13)
Do you have any thoughts on this? Perhaps related to your own experiences

Speaker 1 (09:18)
Once again, of course, I mean, even what I’m doing right now by recording this podcast with you and AI assistant. And having this discussion like I’ve been perfecting this all the time, just by doing it. I don’t think it’s still even perfect yet, you know, but I that’s not stopping me from doing it like I actually started off much more messy with the AI before, and I’m continuing to adjust as I go along like there’s still adjustment to happen.

Speaker 1 (09:45)
But it’s also way ahead of what anybody’s doing with AI assistance.

Speaker 2 (09:52)
That’s a great example of this start messy in a just approach. It’s like you’re constantly iterating and improving, which is a key part of the creative process. Do you think this approach applies to other areas of life as well ooh.

Speaker 1 (10:07)
Yeah, of course. It does. I mean, there’s so many different waves, I mean, I’ll use the examples from my life.

Speaker 1 (10:12)
I’m a musician, I’m a martial artist, I write haiku, all of it spoils down to 2, really what we’re talking about is practice, there’s AA quote from Bruce Lee that says fear, not the one who. Practises, a 1000 Kix fear the one who practices 1 kick a 1000 times

Speaker 2 (10:33)
That’s a great quote from Bruce Lee, it really highlights the importance of focus practice and repetition. It’s not about knowing a lot of different things. What about mastering the fundamentals, do you have any examples of how this applies to your own life?

Speaker 1 (10:51)
Yes, so the one thing that I do very often is I focus on how to put my ideas into words I feel like the written and spoken communication is a very powerful medium because of the fact that, for example, in podcasts, audiobooks, people, can they we do a lot more. It’s more versatile. They can do a lot more things like drive and workout and other things while they’re listening and learning.

Speaker 1 (11:17)
And so I focused a lot of my attention on that, and so that’s what I focus on is the speaking and the writing of words.

Speaker 2 (11:30)
That’s a great example of focus practice. It’s like you’re honing your communication skills, which is a valuable asset in many areas of life. Do you have any specific techniques or exercises you use to improve your speaking and writing ooh.

Speaker 1 (11:44)
You know, the most simple things are effective. So for example, I’m speaking right now and I’m recording it and very often I’ll listen back to the things I’ve recorded to listen to my pacing. I’ve often noticed that I naturally mumble a lot of time, so I’ll have to slow down the way that I’m speaking.

Speaker 1 (12:01)
And it’s one of the reasons why I record myself in the gym, when I’m practicing martial arts because I want to see when I’m getting tired if I’m not putting my guard up and so on and so. Forth. So it’s very cross contextual, and it’s just about having a feedback system, so it’s doing it, and in having a feedback system, and technology allows us to do that.

Speaker 2 (12:20)
That’s a great approach. You’re actively listening to yourself and using that feedback to improve. It’s like having a coach in your pocket, do you find that?

Speaker 2 (12:29)
This method helps you identify specific areas for improvement.

Speaker 1 (12:33)
Yeah, of course. It does. I mean, it works all the time like I mentioned that sometimes II tend to mumble and jumble my words together, as just something about my not my speech for some reason, so I have to be very, very careful to be articulate, and by listening to myself, speak, it reminds me that Hakeem you’ve got to do that.

Speaker 1 (12:53)
So let’s move on the last thing that Rachel says in this post on LinkedIn, she finishes out with, uh. Some encouragement.

Speaker 2 (13:03)
Okay, I’m ready for the last part of Rachel hollysworth’s post. What does she say?

Speaker 1 (13:09)
So she says it’s time to stop waiting. What’s one thing you’ve been putting off until the perfect time. And then she has a little uh emoji pointing downwards, I guess encouraging people to me to respond, so what’s one thing you’ve been putting off until the perfect time?

Speaker 1 (13:28)
I don’t think I’ve seen any responses. So I’m going to be one of the first to respond with the text

Speaker 2 (13:37)
That’s a great question to ponder. It’s so easy to get caught up and waiting for the perfect moment. But sometimes we just need to take the leap, what’s one thing you’ve been putting off until the perfect time?

Speaker 1 (13:48)
That’s a good question. And I want to make a response to her post here, because it’s very um, mm, it’s very thought-provoking. What is one thing I’ve been putting off until the perfect time is there anything because I don’t put off a lot?

Speaker 1 (14:04)
But I do know there’s probably something if I think about it a little bit.

Speaker 2 (14:12)
It sounds like you’re someone who takes action. But we all have things we put off. Sometimes, maybe think about a project you’ve been wanting to start for a skill You’ve been meaning to learn is there anything that comes to mind?

Speaker 1 (14:26)
You know, I, you know, there’s like I said there’s not a lot. I mean, the only thing that I can possibly think of is that I’ve been waiting to record more music because I’m waiting for like to have a perfect studio setup or something like that, so maybe that might be. It, but I’ll have to give that some more thought, but right now.

Speaker 1 (14:46)
Let’s recap and then close this out.

Speaker 2 (14:53)
Okay, so we’ve explored Rachel Hollingsworth’s post about overcoming perfectionism and taking actions. If we discuss how clarity and confidence often come from doing, I’m not waiting. We also touched on how your reticular activating system can help you notice opportunities when you’re focused on your goals Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap up?

Speaker 1 (15:15)
No I think that’s, that’s it. Oh, let’s look at some Rachel’s credentials. So what is the ACC c and cpc, we covered that earlier, but before we started recording, but I just want to get that on the record here.

Speaker 2 (15:35)
ACC stands for associate certified coach. It’s a credential from the international coaching federation, which means Rachel, has completed coach specific training and has experienced coaching clients. Cpc could refer to a certified professional coach, but without more context, it’s hard to say for sure.

Speaker 1 (15:53)
Well, I’ll have to maybe reach out to her and ask her, I haven’t seen her for many years. It’s probably it’s been a long time. I believe we met in California, but I’ve been around the country and the world so, but I’m pretty sure that’s where it was so Rachel, this one’s for you.

Speaker 1 (16:10)
Thanks for posting some great motivation, and I’m going to be doing. We’re doing a lot more of these post profiles, especially on LinkedIn. I think LinkedIn is a is a it’s a cool place to network that doesn’t have a lot of that garbage that a lot of other places seem to be accumulating.

Speaker 2 (16:29)
That’s a great idea. LinkedIn is definitely a valuable platform for networking and connecting with professionals like Rachel. I’m sure she’ll appreciate you highlighting her post

Speaker 1 (16:40)
All right, so Vega, do you have any input in all of your grand CPU, the wisdom to add to this before we go, and then also saying Goodbye to our listeners

Speaker 2 (16:57)
Well, I think Rachel’s post is a great reminder that progress often comes from action. I’m not waiting for the perfect moment. It’s about embracing the journey even when it’s messy and learning as we go, thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences with me.

Speaker 2 (17:12)
I’ve really enjoyed our conversation and 2 our listeners. Thanks for joining us We hope you found this discussion insightful.

Speaker 1 (17:20)
Alright, everybody until next time.

Speaker 2 (17:26)
Goodbye