Being a Healthy Perfectionist

A perfectionist is fuelled by their need to not only achieve but excel. I know perfectionism well and while I believe in the self-driven nature of this personality trait, you have to acknowledge the destructive side as well. As perfectionists, we're never fully satisfied with our accomplishments. When we reach our goals, we can't properly celebrate because our minds are too busy giving ourselves a new target. One that is just as tiresome and exhausting as the last. When we have these unrealistic expectations of ourselves, that's when working towards "perfection" can really start to take a toll on us. 

Concentrate on The Bigger Picture
Time is precious so we want to make sure we're using it on the right things. I definitely obsess too much over the minor details. If you're having to redo something again and again, take a second to think about how significant it is to the end result. The more you keep touching on it, the more paranoid you become. Know when to move on. Tell yourself you'll come back to it later and I guarantee you that by the time you've finished up, you'll realise just how small and unimportant it was.    

Allow Yourself to Make Mistakes
You're human, it's normal to slip up sometimes. We learn from being wrong and we make better choices because of this. It's true that our achievements define who we are but so do our mistakes. You must embrace this if you want to grow as a person and gain self acceptance within yourself. 

Don't Focus Too Much on One Thing
Don't let everything you do revolve around just one job or one class or one friend. Make sure you're tending to all aspects of your life. It's all about finding the right balance between hobbies, school/work and social life. If you were to spend every hour of every day "perfecting" your skills in a sport you play, you're likely to neglect all your other commitments. Which means if something were to go wrong and you were out for the season, you'd have nothing else to fall back on. 

Find The Silver Lining
Perfectionists often recognise the bad before the good. The voice inside our mind criticises our every move and floods our heads with insecurities. You're allowed to self-evaluate and reassess situations, however if these internal reflections are consumed by negative thoughts, they won't get you anywhere. Applaud yourself every once in a while. Instead of focusing solely on improvement, give yourself a chance to reflect on how far you've come and take pride in where you are now. 

What are your thoughts on perfectionism?