I will fully admit that I am a recovering perfectionist and as such, I have learned there are some very valid reasons to stop trying to be perfect. Being a perfectionist is not the best personality trait that you can have. For a long time, I thought it was a good thing but my thoughts on that are beginning to change. Let’s explore some good reasons to stop trying to be perfect.
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1. It is Unattainable
One of the best reasons to stop trying to be perfect is that you will never reach that standard. Perfection is unattainable. You will spend so much of your life trying to be perfect but it simply isn’t possible. It isn’t very healthy to work toward something that is always going to be unattainable. You will end up being frustrated and aggravated most of the time.
2. It Makes You Miserable
Trying to be perfect makes you miserable. You are rushing after something that you are more than likely never going to catch. This adds a tremendous amount of stress to the normal daily stress everyone has. Even if you do end up doing something that hits your standards, it is temporary and no one is going to appreciate it the way you wish that they would. Additionally, not only are you not going to be able to meet your own standards but others won’t measure up either.
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3. It Makes Everyone around You Miserable
A perfectionist is not usually a fun person to be around. They are generally so focused on being perfect that they don’t have time to enjoy the lighthearted side of life. How do I know this? I have been there and done that. You can’t be fun to be around because you don’t feel fun. When your mind is focused on a never ending to do list, you don’t make the best company.
4. You Are Never Satisfied
Another thing I have learned about being a perfectionist is that you are rarely ever satisfied. You are always thinking on what you can do better next time. You always want to top yourself and improve upon the standard you have set. There can also be a competitive element when you deal with perfectionism. This can make you feel like you need to improve yourself to the next level above what you have already attained.
5. You Become Pessimistic
Perfectionism is unhealthy in so many ways. Another one of those ways is that you become pessimistic. You begin looking at what you have done and instantly think about how you could have done a better job. You don’t take the time to celebrate what you have accomplished. You put yourself and your accomplishments down.
6. It Isn’t Much Fun
Is it any surprise that being a perfectionist isn’t a lot of fun? I can attest to that. You are constantly stressing yourself out by trying to do better than possible. You keep yourself on a high level of stress at all times and don’t give yourself a lot of fun downtime. Dropping such high standards can allow you to have more fun in your life.
7. It Doesn’t Gain You Any Friends
Trying to be perfect does not gain you any friends. And why would it? If you are so overly focused on attaining an unattainable standard, you don’t have time for fun. You don’t have a lot of time for friends, either, which is something that we all need in our lives. Giving up on perfectionism can be better for your mental health and for you overall.
I have decided that perfectionism isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. Have you struggled with perfectionism? How did you give it up?
Comments
Goldie: Hahahaha I'm like a perfectionist but I'm not even good at that or close to perfect at all lol
Splashhhh: But we cant acheive somthing unless we try and that sense of being perfect called traying .
Rose: Thnx for tis
Shelai: so true
Jennapher: If your quest or goal is perfection, you are doomed to fail! Perhaps this is an extreme example, but most people who suffer eating disorders also tend to see themselves as "perfectionists." Part of the illness is the pathological desire to a "perfect" image of themselves reflected back in a mirror. What they "see" in the mirror is never going to match this ideal they have created for themselves that can never be achieved. So they starve and binge, starve and binge until someone intervenes, they have an epiphany that they are ill, or they end up like. Karen Carpenter. Do you know-or care for that matter-that among her peers Karen Carpenter is considered to be one of the most accomplished pop music drummers? She had a stunning voice, and many have compared her to Ringo in her subtle mastery of percussion. She was a perfectionist! There is a huge difference between working toward success, striving to be your best, and becoming obsessed with being "perfect". Perfection is about success, it's about control, and insecurity, being afraid to succeed, being haunted by the concept of "failure." For days ago there was a great post about what we can all learn from successful athletes. One very important thing we can learn is that you will never achieve your goal with working hard, failing and losing, and then picking yourself up to do it all over again! How many coaches and athletes preach that they learn more from defeat than from victory? How many successful people preach that they have learned more from their mistakes than from their accomplishments! Women in particular have suffered from the pursuit of perfection, for no less a reason than the model for "perfection" was created and maintained by men, ugh! And it was never meant to be achievable. So a woman, no matter how successful, was always doomed to come up short of this ideal. And in many ways this remains the case. Successful women are held up as role models who "have it all." They have mega-watt careers, doting but strong spouses or partners, and beautiful smart children who are destined to conquer the world. How many women like that do you know? Throw perfection out the window! Break it into a million tiny pieces! Grind those pieces into dust under the toe of that pair of Laboutin platform heels! Strive to be YOUR best! Embrace your flaws and imperfections! Conquer YOUR world...now that is perfect
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