Whatever the question is, waiting for things to be “perfect” is never the answer. Though many people may pride themselves on being perfectionists, let me tell you this, perfectionism is tied to fixed and not growth mindsets. Take a look at the strong booming successful businesses that have grown over the past couple of years, were they perfect? No! They are and always will be “a work in progress”.
The Plight Of Perfectionism
Hell, I am a work in progress myself! If I aspire for perfectionism, I know I will never get there. I coach new business owners with big ideas and, they stay in incubation mode for too long waiting for everything to be perfect.
Pursuing perfectionism is like waiting for a bus that never arrives. We can’t control everything and we can’t be in charge of the whole universe. Working with what we have towards what we want is what works in this crazy, fast-paced, world.
The Way Out
If you’re attempting to recover from perfectionism, let me tell you what helped me manage it these past couple of years:
Blaming yourself and constantly criticizing yourself won’t help you get better at all, it only makes you feel worse about yourself. Forgive yourself and give yourself room to make mistakes even if you make a fool of yourself. Don’t take yourself too seriously, life is too short!
Have high expectations of yourself but tie them to a plan. Stick to the steps instead of constantly focusing on the final target and fixating on the length of the journey. Because this will only make you feel bad about yourself.
Self-loathing will get you nowhere. It will drain your energy and take away from any motivation you might have to work on your targets. Expecting too much of yourself in a very short period of time will only make you feel like a failure. Not everything can be rushed, especially, growth. Give yourself the time you need to flourish, be kind, and patient with yourself.
Remember That You’re Doing Your Best
You’re giving it your best shot, you are… a work in progress! Focus on the journey, not on the destination. As a perfectionist, if you only think about the destination, you will never start because you will always be waiting for things to be perfect and you’ll never see them that way.
A full life is not a perfect life, it is a life filled with experiences, choices, journeys, and all the ups and downs in between.
Regina Inani is a coach with a focus on career and lifestyle and an HR guru with many years of experience across multinationals and startups. She is addicted to reading and drinks coffee like there is no tomorrow. She’s also a content creator and a mentor.
“My WHY is that the world needs more women leaders!”