I’m a recovering perfectionist. How about you?
Do you suspect you are a perfectionist?
Are you your own worst critic?
Do you set impossibly high standards for yourself?
You know you a perfectionist when the saying, ‘done is better than perfect’ sends shivers up your spine, like it does me.
Make a promise to kill the perfectionist in you today
Striving for excellence is a common goal across various professions, yet we know pursuing perfection can often become a trap. This relentless chase for flawlessness has the potential to strip away the enjoyment of our pursuits, suppress our creative impulses, and ultimately hinder our effectiveness. For writers, artists, entrepreneurs, or professionals of any kind, perfectionism can affect not only our work’s outcome but deeply impact our personal satisfaction and well-being.
How Fear Controls Your Output
Without a doubt in my mind, fear is the driving force behind perfectionism. Fear of failure, fear of judgment, and fear of not being good enough. This fear doesn’t safeguard quality; it smothers creativity and innovation. In creative fields like writing or art, this can mean endless revisions, reluctance to start new projects, or even cause creative blocks. In professional settings, it may manifest as procrastination, overworking, or an inability to delegate tasks.
While you strive for excellence, the opposite often happens. The pressure to produce something flawless can be so overwhelming that it stifles your creativity and productivity. Anxiety and self-doubt replace the joy of creation and discovery.
Fear controls your output and leads to a risk-averse mindset, where you’re too afraid to experiment or step outside of your comfort zone for fear of making mistakes. Yet, we know it’s often through mistakes that we learn and find breakthroughs. Innovation requires experimentation, and experimentation inherently involves the risk of failure. When fear controls your output, you not only limit your potential, but can also deny yourself the opportunity to grow and evolve.
Have you ever heard of ‘analysis by paralysis’ where you’re so concerned with making the perfect choice that you end up making no choice at all? I know so many people like this. The endless weighing of options and potential outcomes can prevent you from acting, leading to missed opportunities and stifled progress. I’ve had a few missed opportunities because of over analysing a situation.
The Cost of Perfectionism
The cost of perfectionism extends beyond just your professional output; it impacts your mental and physical health. The constant stress and pressure of trying to achieve perfection can lead to burnout, anxiety, and depression. It can strain relationships, as the perfectionist may become irritable, withdrawn, or overly critical of themselves and others. Physically, the stress can manifest as insomnia, chronic fatigue, or other stress-related illnesses.
Sadly, perfectionism can kill the joy and passion that initially drew you to your work or project. Your passion, curiosity, learning, and creation become replaced by seeking approval from others and avoiding criticism. Work becomes a source of stress rather than fulfillment, and the sense of accomplishment is always just out of reach.
Breaking Free from Perfectionism
Embrace the perfection–to break free from perfectionism, you must embrace it. It’s about recognising that mistakes are not just inevitable but valuable. They are opportunities for learning, growth, and innovation.
Make a promise to yourself today to kill the perfectionist in you by:
1. Setting Realistic Goals: Aim for progress, not perfection. Set achievable goals that challenge you without being overwhelming.
2. Have Compassion for You: Be kind to yourself. Give yourself a break. No one is perfect. We know this. Always acknowledge your efforts and progress. It is an empowering exercise to look back and see how far you have come.
3. Embrace Mistakes: This is a hard one, but try to view mistakes as learning opportunities. Analyse what went wrong and work out how it can be improved without self-judgment.
4. Limit Revision Cycles: Calling all writers! Although this applies to all projects. Set a limit on the number of times you revise your work. Accept that at some point, it will be ‘good enough’ and further changes are pointless.
5. Seek Feedback and Learn to Accept it: Share your work with others. Constructive criticism can help you improve your work and help you realise your standards are often higher than necessary.
6. Focus on the Process, Not Just the Outcome: Find your passion and joy, creating, learning, and problem-solving, rather than fixating solely on the final product.
When you kill the perfectionist within, you will not only enhance your performance but also rediscover the joy and passion that made you embark on your creative or professional journey. It’s a liberating process that opens a world of possibilities, creativity, and, most importantly, happiness. Remember, perfection is an illusion—a mirage in the desert of creativity and productivity. Instead go for excellence, growth, and a willingness to learn from every step of the journey.
When I published my debut novel Search for the Holy Whale I knew it wasn’t perfect, but it’s now out there in the world and I’ve moved on to new projects. Check it out here.
This blog is not perfect. Who cares. Don’t let perfectionism dictate the quality of your work and the quality of your life. Kill the perfectionist in YOU today!
