Confession of a Grammar Goof

Perfection is overrated (and spellcheck hates me)

I’ll be the first to admit—my writing is filled with errors.

Just the other day, I made some last-minute edits to an article right before hitting “publish.” Small tweaks—adjusting a verb to agree with a noun, adding a letter I accidentally missed. I sat back, feeling that familiar sense of completeness, and hit “publish.”

A moment later, I saw the article live on the page.

There it was—my freshly edited title, bold and proud… with a glaring grammatical goof. I had rewritten it in a rush but didn’t bother to reread it. Now that little mistake was sitting in the inbox of every subscriber reading:

The Purpose of a Sunflower: How Peyton North’s Turns self-doubt into purpose

Readers who pick up on it may think:

• “He rushes his content.”

• “His work is unpolished.”

• “What a grammar goof.”

But the truth is, mistakes happen.

And I’m here to tell you why it’s okay to hit publish while making mistakes along the way.

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Writing is a human process

Writing is messy.

It’s full of typing, deleting, typing again, second-guessing yourself, deleting some more, moving paragraphs around, getting frustrated, and spewing more unpolished thoughts. That’s how it goes for me every time I sit down to write. If it goes smoother for you, sign me up for your masterclass—you’ll give me hours of my life back.

But for now, I’ll wholeheartedly acknowledge: writing is a human process, and it’s far from linear.

Typos don’t invalidate your message

Your message is still understood.

You may fixate on your errors because mistakes overshadow successes ten out of ten times in our minds. But readers move on quickly. When you consistently show your work, you build an audience that cares more about your ideas than perfection. Seeing the occasional mistake reminds your audience that you’re human—just like they are.

And above all, your growth follows your authenticity.

Expecting perfection chains you in place

Never hitting “publish” is a bigger problems than a typo.

You feel pressured to perform—to do amazing things. But when you set out to create something remarkable, the first results often look far from amazing. They’re imperfect. If you expect perfection from the start, you’ll end up stopping there. You’ll put down your pen, hoping to find better success in the future. But that hope only sets your expectations up for disappointment again, and you’ll never move from where you stand.

The moment you accept that mistakes will pop up in the process is the moment you release the shackles and finally start to grow.

The real risk is not sharing at all

The risk of not sharing is missing the opportunity to:

• Connect: Build relationships by sharing

• Inspire: Motivate others through your words

• Grow: Develop your voice by putting your work out there

Each one is an impact you could have had in your corner of the world but never realized because of the fear of imperfection.

I’d rather put my words out there with mistakes than stay silent out of fear.

I’d rather inspire one person with a slightly flawed piece than keep it tucked away, endlessly edited, never seen.

If I publish and find a mistake after, it’s a reminder that I overcame creativity’s greatest enemy—perfectionism.

Own your mistakes and keep writing

So, yes, I’ll own it—I made a mistake. I’ve made hundreds before. And I’m sure I’ll make plenty more.

But I couldn’t be a writer about the struggles of creativity and let perfectionism get the better of me.

And I don’t want it to get the better of you either.

Keep writing, keep sharing, and embrace the imperfections. Your voice matters more than your typos ever will.

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