My expectation to be perfect was ruining my video, but authenticity saved it
🎥 In the speaker group for Women in Agile Europe, we were all asked to send in a short promo video for our talks. One of the speakers shared that she was struggling, not with public speaking (she’s great at that!), but with recording herself on camera. And honestly… I could relate.
When I first tried to record mine, I was just recovering from a nasty throat infection. My voice was finally back, and I was determined to get it done. I had my script ready, I’d practiced it, but the delivery?
❌ It didn’t feel like me.
❌ I wasn’t smiling.
❌ I wasn’t transmitting the excitement I felt inside.
I recorded for hours over two days, and nothing felt right. The pressure I put on myself was making it worse. The deadline was looming, and I just wanted it to be perfect.
So I stepped away. I gave myself a few days to breathe.
And then one day, when I was feeling good mentally, I just hit record… and spoke freely about my talk.
💡 I was smiling.
💡 I was authentic.
💡 I was me.
It’s not perfect. But it’s real and that’s what matters most.
My takeaways
✨ It’s ok to postpone a task if you’re not in the right headspace.
✨ How you feel when you do something matters.
✨ Drop the pressure, authenticity > perfection every time.
💬 What’s one thing you’ve been putting too much pressure on yourself to “get perfect”?
Karla Merza is an Agile Coach, Scrum Master and International Speaker.
