Problems with Perfection

What’s Wrong with Perfectionism?

Perfectionism comes from deep-rooted beliefs and one’s conditioning. Perfectionists tend to believe that seeking perfection is the only way of achieving excellence, but what they forget is that while being meticulous may be a good thing, perfectionism often borders on obsession.

The biggest problem with perfectionism, however, is that most people don’t realize that perfectionism is not something to be proud of! Earnestness and diligence are good qualities, but perfectionism can do you more harm than good!

If you are still not convinced, ask yourself the following questions:

• Does it take you an hour to complete a job that could realistically have been accomplished easily 20 minutes?
• Are you paranoid about making mistakes?
• While working, do you find yourself in a state of perpetual anxiety?
• Do you feel unhappy with your performance 9 out of 10 times?
• Do you criticize yourself often?
• Are mistakes seen as failure in your eyes?
• Do you generally set unrealistically high goals for yourself?
• Are you too preoccupied with achieving perfection to actually enjoy your work?

The answers to these questions will help you understand how your habit of seeking perfection is preventing you from actually doing your best.

Success comes to those who manage their time well, so with perfectionists time often becomes the first casualty. While being meticulous is a great quality, perfectionists overdo it and check and cross check their work several times in order to eliminate the smallest mistake. Often, this only leads to wasting of precious time.

Mistakes are a part of life, and everyone errs once in a while. The best way to deal with mistakes is to avoid them and learn from as and when they happen. Being paranoid about mistakes only takes away the joy of working. What’s worse is that paranoia can often lead to a state of constant anxiety, and a person is bound to make more mistakes when he/she is agitated or anxious.

Perfectionists tend to take the path of self-criticism and setting high goals as a way of pushing themselves toward excellence. Their plan, however, often backfires. The problem is perfectionists tend to replace objectivity with self-criticism and realism with ambition.

Judging your performance objectively is a better way of self-appraisal than criticizing your work for being less than perfect. Goal setting should be done realistically; i.e., one’s goals should neither be too easy to achieve nor almost impossible!

Perfectionism is a behavior trait that has its roots in low self-esteem and self-doubt, so any offshoot of such negative feelings cannot have a positive impact on one’s life. After all, any behavior trait that prevents you from experiencing joy in whatever you are doing cannot be good for you.

Until next time, embrace your inner wisdom.

Namaste,
Karen