Perfectionism isn’t that fancy anymore.
Embrace humility and self-development instead.
I know a number of people that call themselves «perfectionists».
More often than not, they seem to be proud of this label, as though it was a quality or a skill. I must admit, I probably was one of those, some years back. Today I rather think this is a heavy psychological burden to carry.
This self-imposed tag entails different degrees of expectations on one’s perceived level of success.
Do we really need this construct to describe our desire of great quality work, commitment and strive for better outcomes? I don’t believe so.
The ironic aspect in this context is that the idea of perfection always rests upon the individual’s perception of success. In other words, it’s totally subjective.
You might feel successful having sold a poor-quality product at a prime price to a naive customer. You were «perfect» in your role as salesman. Congratulations.
You can actually calibrate your success on whatever you decided is meaningful to you and yet be a failure in the eyes of everyone else.
In my definition, you cannot claim success if you’re purposely or knowingly creating damage to someone else. I do realize though that not everyone would agree with this.
On the other hand, many people measure their performance on the degree of agreement or appreciation they get, hence making themselves potential victims of others’ motivations and biases. With this I don’t want to dismiss the importance of appreciation and positive feedback. They matter a lot. But don’t let them be your only unit of measure. Like it or not, there is always gonna be someone that doesn’t like you, no matter how hard you try.
The bottom line is: measuring ourselves against “perfection” holds an inherent risk of ending up often disappointed, if not generally unfulfilled.
Granted, we all aspire to be good at what we do, right? However, my recommendation is to quit once and for all the desire to be «perfect». Let’s just operate at the best of our abilities and don’t sit back even when everything seems to be going fine. What does that mean?
To begin with, be open to feedback, ask for it, act on it. Listen to developmental insights without being defensive.
Understand what you’re great at and work as much as you can in your «zone». Plan to change. And plan for changes. The world is spinning faster than ever and you think you can afford to stand still and «learn from the job»? Those times are gone; we’ve got to make our development a conscious effort, dedicate time and focus on it. This doesn’t necessarily have to cause you stress, but you cannot turn a blind eye to the necessity of growing. To me, learning is a daily routine. You can manage it by planning on it, making it a habit, creating space for learning something new every day. That’s what «doing your best» means to me. Make a commitment to develop and improve. And keep yourself humble on the path.
Be kind to yourself: don’t try to be perfect. None of the people that love you, care for you or even simply respect you have the expectation for you to be perfect.
Perfectionism is a cat chasing its tail. Let the cat rest and be peaceful. Free to run playfully towards a lighter, higher purpose.
Vale
If you enjoyed reading this article, I’d really appreciate if you could recommend it by clicking on the ❤ button below. Here is my previous article: “Leading in your Strength Zone”. Follow me on Medium or Facebook. For more stories like this follow InSpiral.
