When The Perils Of Perfectionism Get In Your Way

Are you a perfectionist? Does everything have to be 100% before you’ll consider it done?

Ugh, this is me!

Perfection Isn’t Attainable

I am only just starting to acknowledge how this trait is holding me back. I could spend hours, days, forever! trying to get something to be perfect when really I just need to get it out there, and let it go.

This is the bar I’ve set early in life. In fact, I’m wondering if we’re all brought into the world like this – as perfection seeking creatures. Because the second we’re born, we’re told we’re perfect. Or at least that’s how it went with both my kids.

Perfectionist Tendencies Start Young

As soon as my babies came out, everyone in the delivery room was saying he’s perfect! And she’s perfect! (Yes, I said it too. My kids were perfect when they were born.)

But this gets a little confusing because the fact is, no one is perfect.

Not Beyonce.
Not Giselle.
Not Oprah.

And certainly not me.

I don’t know if I was told I was perfect in the delivery room, but I do know that I’ve been trying to match that perfection my whole life – with work, with my body, with everything!

It’s exhausting!

So I am trying to step back and become more aware when that strive for perfection sets in. And acknowledge it’s time to let it go. Either put it out there, if it’s work related. Or accept it with grace, if it’s my aging body. Because the worst thing I can do is hold onto that strive for perfection that I’ll never achieve.

Progress, Not Perfection

In spin class this morning they played that song Forever Young by Alphaville (which was the song of my high school graduation btw) and I’m listening to the words thinking wait, I don’t want to be forever young. Well, of course I want to look forever young, but I can’t. So why is it being perpetuated to be something that’s impossible. It’s things like this that don’t serve a perfectionist like myself well. Needless to say, it made me angry enough to start pedaling hard AF up the stationary bike hill so at least I got a good sweat.

In the meantime, as I work to adjust my expectations, it’s important that I be honest with myself about what I’m capable of, and who I am because otherwise I’ll sink into the perils of perfectionism which will kill my self esteem.

In this video I share a little story that forced me to come face to face with a not so pretty part of myself that I had to deal with.

PS: Perfectionism is the enemy of having an incredible style. In this post I share how to make your new year new you look good.