The 2 Worst Obsessions Ruining Your Personality

Change your perspective on life.

A woman in a black long-sleeved shirt is wearing black sunglasses — an image by Abbat on Unsplash.

There was a point when I was out of control. My thoughts overpowered me. I was also a movie addict. Luckily, a dialogue from the X-Men movie series hinted that my mind was controlling me. In a scene, Charles Xavier advises Jean, ‘don’t let it control you.’

I started my research on controlling my mind instead of letting it control me. Charles has taught me that my mind could kill me if I keep following whatever it commands me.

Successful people always work on eliminating habits that poison their spirituality. While optimistic, they figure out the keys to success and try getting those keys.

The Misconception Of Knowing Everything

Believing that you know everything about a specific subject is worst of all. I had the same issue but hadn’t acknowledged it until I joined law school. After meeting dozens of very learned peers at my law school, I realized I knew nothing.

There was a vast gap between my actual knowledge and the knowledge I was mistaken for possessing. Hence, I determined to fill that gap by learning more about everything.

It’s been a year since I joined Medium. I assumed I knew everything about writing and generating income from the platform until recently. We carry a perception of knowing everything about a particular subject, even though we don’t. And I can’t deny such a fact.

I now believe that no human being can ever have a hundred percent knowledge of any subject. No successful person can claim to have it either, no matter the level of mastery they have gained. There’s always a tiny room left in our knowing anything because everything keeps evolving. It’s known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect. The Effect leads us to misjudge our actual abilities in a particular field. It lets us make an incorrect assessment of our intelligence.

A woman wearing a black and white stripe scarf is smiling while taking a photo of Anastasiya Gepp from Pexels.

Here’s what you can do to get rid of the Effect that I also exercised for letting it go. Don’t be blind while admitting anything. Question yourself about the base knowledge you gain. Analyze whether your conclusions align with common sense.

Listen to others and read papers and books to broaden your knowledge. Assess how you can apply your wisdom to practice and how you can share it with people. There’s always room for improvement. It doesn’t matter how successful you are and how significant your results are. So, keep on practicing to achieve excellence. I have covered this topic under later headings.

I Freed Myself From The Desire To Earn Perfectionism

People say practice makes a man perfect. I also had firm faith in this saying, but it’s untrue because it’s a misguided belief. We only keep falling into the pit of wrong anticipations. I realized it after searching online for ways of achieving perfectionism.

Here’s what reverted my faith from the misguided saying. Perfectionism is unachievable. But running after it can help you achieve excellence, which is not unachievable at all. It’s our guiding star, leading us to our desired destinations. If perfectionism is our only motive, we can never have it. Make excellence your goal, but not perfectionism. The latter is always fatal.

My online research encouraged me to set out practical objectives and expectations. It helps us achieve a balanced lifestyle and set sensible and realistic targets. Now, I don’t waste my energy by not attempting the impossibles.

Saying “No” is another method I learned to throw away the desire to have perfectionism. I have defeated my perfectionism after saying no to every opportunity. Now, I don’t waste my energy on attempting the impossibles.

Perfectionists are very passionate about doing everything. That’s why they can’t turn down any opportunity. If Thomas Edison had aimed for perfectionism, he wouldn’t have invented the light bulb. And as a result, every household would still need a lantern today.

I’d advise you to think out of the box and not fall into the wrong beliefs. Holding the right perception is everything you need in life to succeed. If you believe you know everything about a certain topic, trust me, you’re mistaken.

As far as perfectionism is concerned, we all are misguided about the concept. I’d rather suggest aiming for excellence than perfectionism because the former is the pathway to mastery, but not the latter.

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