You’re ALL or NOTHING! You still think that’s a good thing?
Hands up if you’re a perfectionist. Keep your hands raised if either of these next two phrases resonate with you:
“If I can’t do it perfectly, then I really don’t want to do it at all.”
“I will not begin an exercise routine unless I can do 5 days per week of training + be 100% perfect diet wise; because there’s no point otherwise”
Now, do you think being a perfectionist is a good thing or a bad thing?
Socially, being a perfectionist is seen as a positive trait and as such a lot of us like to be this way. However, most of us have no idea the harm this outlook can have on us.
Have you ever put something off because you want it to be absolutely 100% perfect? Often we won’t attempt one of many great things in life simply because we’re scared that our efforts will turn out to be less than perfect, maybe even mediocre or worse – fail entirely. So we don’t try it. We may regret it later in life.
And when you’re looking at an overwhelming project, you keep focusing on how big it is and don’t begin because you don’t feel comfortable breaking it down into small steps because you must do it All. You’re an ‘all or nothing’ person.
Sound familiar? You need to realise a few things:
- First, it’s great to have high standards, but you must realise that to expect perfection is unfair on yourself and adds pressure that you may simply never be able to live up to. Understand that none of us are perfect and nothing we do can ever be perfect.
- Remind yourself how many times you’ve missed out or backed off from opportunities because you didn’t even bother trying, simply because you wanted to get everything perfect the very first go or not bother trying at all.
- Next time, why not try taking action immediately and instead of expecting perfect, allow yourself the room to make improvements over time. Begin in bite-size steps so you won’t feel too overwhelmed to get started!
Remember that in almost 100% of cases, if you try something and mess it up you will be able to go back and try again until it’s better and something you can take pride in.
Have a great day,
Alex
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