Is your inner perfectionist holding you back in life?
A perfectionist is a person who always strives for the perfect result. It can be exhausting because in the eyes of a perfectionists, nothing ever is perfect! It’s a cruel game that cannot be won. The perfect standard is a fantasy!
Many of my clients have a strong inner perfectionist, and indeed so have I! It can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because it can make people ambitious and driven, and ultimately create good results; but a curse because perfectionists can be extremely hard on themselves and easily become stressed, frustrated or even burned out.
In extreme cases, a perfectionist can procrastinate or even abandon plans because they already know that whatever they do will never match their unrealistic standards. Ironically, this kind of behaviour is not perfect at all!
In this “imperfect” video, I share a simple step for managing your inner perfectionist: Reframe your idea of what “perfect” means with a new mantra:
“It’s good enough!”
In fact, my own improved definition of a “perfect result” is one that is:
(a) actually created (!); and
(b) good enough considering the restraints of budget, time and my current skill set.
I aim for 80%.
Unless you are in a profession where 100% accuracy is required (e.g. accounting), focussing on the 80% that actually matter, and letting go of the 20% that don’t, is a great way of improving your productivity.
What do you think? Fancy trying it?
Click here to book a free call with me to discuss your inner perfectionist.
Hans Schumann
Executive Coaching for Masterful Living®
