Doesn’t PERFECTIONISM sound like a good thing? Who wouldn’t want to be someone who likes everything to be perfect? Perfectionism is often described as a positive trait, however, the struggle underneath that veil of perfection can be miserable.
Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough – that we should try again.
Julia Cameron
It is probably important to note that everyone can show signs of perfectionism here and there. The real struggle is when perfectionism starts impacting your life, such as:
- Procrastination: It’s difficult to start a task when you feel like it needs to be completed perfectly.
- Defensiveness: Feedback is difficult for you to hear and accept.
- “One Man Show”: You can’t delegate tasks because no one could meet your standards.
- Focus on Mistakes: It’s hard to see any of your success because you are so focused on your mistakes.
- You “SHOULD” All Over Yourself: You have such high standards for yourself and what you should be doing.
- Fear of Failure: Failure isn’t an option; you must succeed and often that fear of failure is your motivation.
- “All or Nothing” Thinking: You make one small mistake and the whole thing is ruined.
- Unhealthy Relationships: you don’t open up to others for fear of being imperfect.
- Beating Yourself Up: you are very critical of yourself and often, have unattainable expectations.
If you feel like you are impacted by perfectionism, sign up to get my FREE Frantic Girl’s Guide to Feeling Happier & More Balanced. The Guide teaches women 6 daily habits (that take 5 minutes!!) that can help perfectionists kick some of these habits to the curb!