If you’re like most people, you’ve probably had at least one moment in your life when you felt like a failure. Maybe it was after a test, or maybe it was when someone criticized your work. We’ve all been there. The good news is that this kind of failure can be overcome with time and practice—but if it’s happening frequently, then it’s time to look deeper into what might be going on. Perfectionism is an unhelpful way of thinking about yourself and your work; if you’re constantly striving for perfection but never quite making it there, this mindset can hold you back from achieving your full potential as an employee or entrepreneur.
Perfection is an illusion.
Perfection is an illusion. The more you try to be perfect, the more likely you are to fail. And when you do fail, it feels like a huge blow because of the expectations that were riding on your shoulders in the first place.
The longer this cycle goes on–the more times we try and fail at something–the worse our self-esteem gets beaten down by our own negative thoughts about ourselves: “I’m not good enough.” “I’m not worthy of success.” “I’ll never achieve anything worthwhile.”
If this sounds familiar then stay tuned because I’m going to share with you how perfectionism held me back from achieving my goals for years…
The “perfect” life is impossible to achieve.
The “perfect” life is impossible to achieve. It’s an illusion that we chase because it’s constantly moving and changing, like a carrot on a stick. The idea of perfection doesn’t even exist in nature–it’s just something we’ve made up. And yet, despite this fact, we still try so hard to reach it by comparing ourselves against other people and what they’ve accomplished or achieved in life.
It’s important for us all to remember that perfection has no real meaning or value unless you define it yourself: Perfection may mean different things depending on who you are as an individual; but regardless of what your version looks like, remember that it will always be unattainable because everyone has different definitions of success and happiness!
People who strive for perfection are more likely to fixate on mistakes and miss the big picture.
Perfectionists tend to concentrate on the small details, which can be beneficial when you’re trying to achieve a goal. However, this focus can also cause them to miss the big picture and ignore their own mistakes.
This is because perfectionists tend to be hyper-critical of themselves and others–they see only what’s wrong instead of what’s right. As a result, they may miss an opportunity for improvement or fail to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses (which can lead them down an unhealthy path).
Perfectionists are more likely to binge on food or drink, and they have more trouble recovering from a major setback.
Perfectionists are more likely to binge on food or drink, and they have more trouble recovering from a major setback. The reason for this is that perfectionism is linked to depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.
When you’re dealing with a perfectionist who has been rejected by an employer or lost their job due to the recession, it can be helpful to understand how their mind works so you can help them get through this difficult time.
When you’re stuck in a perfectionistic mindset, it can be hard to fulfill your potential because you’re focused on what’s wrong rather than what’s right about you and your work.
The first step to escaping the perfectionistic mindset is to focus on what’s right about you and your work. When you’re stuck in a perfectionistic mindset, it can be hard to fulfill your potential because you’re focused on what’s wrong rather than what’s right about you and your work. That’s why it’s important to give yourself credit when things go well or if something goes better than expected–even if only by accident!
The next step is learning how not to get caught up in the details. This might sound simple enough but sometimes when we’re working on something important, or even just trying something new for the first time (and especially if there are other people involved), we tend toward being nitpicky and picky about small things like spelling errors or grammatical mistakes instead of seeing things from an overall perspective: What does this mean? How does this affect my project? Is there another way I could approach this problem?
If you’re trying to be perfect, it’s time to give up that quest and embrace imperfection instead.
It’s time to give up the quest for perfection, and embrace imperfection instead.
If you’re trying to be perfect, it’s time to give up that quest and embrace imperfection instead. Perfectionism is a myth–and it can hold us back from doing what we love by making us feel like our work isn’t good enough or worthy of being seen by others. If you’re constantly striving for perfection in your work or life but never quite achieving it (because there is no such thing), then perhaps it’s time for some perspective: perfectionism isn’t real; it just feels like it sometimes!
Perfectionism traps us in an endless cycle of self-loathing where we think everything we do will never be good enough until some imaginary future point when everything comes together perfectly without fail every single day without fail forever amen amen amen amen amen amen amen Amen!
Conclusion
Perfectionism is a nasty habit that can hold you back from achieving your goals. If you’re trying to be perfect, it’s time to give up that quest and embrace imperfection instead. Perfectionists are more likely to fixate on mistakes, miss the big picture, binge on food or drink, and have trouble recovering from major setbacks. When we stop striving for perfection and instead focus on doing our best with what we have at hand–which is usually all we need anyway–we open ourselves up for success!
