Don’t Let Perfectionism Hold You Back

What do you think of when I say “perfectionist”? Perfectionism is often defined as the need to be (or at least appear to be) perfect.

Many times people refer to this as a positive trait. You think about it as a “quest for perfectionism”. It can motivate you to strive for high quality work or for you to perform at a high level. However, I often see this appear when it is unhealthy and unproductive. In those scenarios, I see people who hold themselves to impossibly high standards. They think that what they do is never good enough and they have high levels of anxiety. Perfectionism can hold you back from making a decision or acting (which is often how it impacts your work or business) and it can lead you to be unhappy with your life (because nothing ever feels good enough).

While it may feel like a great aspiration – to be perfect – perfectionists actually achieve less and stress more than regular high achievers.