If you’re a perfectionist, you probably find that it’s a challenging way to live. In most cases, it’s a road to disappointment and dissatisfaction. It can also have a negative effect on the relationships in your life.
When you’re a perfectionist, it seems like nothing can ever be as perfect as you’d like. Perfectionism consists of demanding a higher level of performance than the situation dictates. The key to excellence is finding an optimum performance level to achieve good results.
These tips will help you escape your quest for perfectionism:
1. Give Yourself a Break
Eliminating the urge to have everything be perfect takes time. It’s important to start slowly and congratulate yourself for each victory, even the small ones. Set reasonable goals and reward your accomplishments.
2. Provide everyone else a break, too.
Trying to be perfect and expecting the same from others is an attempt to control them. This can be off-putting because others want to be free to act without being criticized. Make others feel great instead of judging them!
3. Learn how to see all the variations.
Just because something is less than 100% doesn’t mean it equals zero. That’s an overly simplified way of dealing with the world.
Avoid viewing everything as all-or-nothing. The subtleties of life hold most of the beauty of the world. Open your eyes and consider everything.
Learn to understand when something is good enough and then move on to the next thing. Spending more time or effort than necessary is far from being perfect. If you think about it, perfectionism a way of being excessive and inefficient.
4. Develop your sense of humor.
With a good sense of humor, you can shift your perspective quickly and easily. This makes it easier to deal with those situations that turn out less than perfect.
5. Realize that most mistakes aren't fatal.
Nearly any mistake can be rectified. When things go in an unplanned direction, go with the flow. This can be challenging for a perfectionist.
Avoid letting your emotions lead you to a negative, unproductive state. Instead, be proactive and start coming up with solutions that will still take you to your goal. They may include a temporary detour, or take longer than originally planned, but the end result will be satisfactory.
6. Avert the urge to use perfectionism as a way to procrastinate.
Some perfectionists avoid beginning a task that’s less than desirable. Getting started and making a few mistakes is more preferable than doing nothing at all or getting started too late.
7. Perfectionism can negatively impact your life because it's an ineffective and unenjoyable way to live.
Learn to let go of your need to be perfect. You'll be more pleased with your life and feel much happier. Your loved ones will be happier, too! These tips can get you off to a great start and help free you from perfectionism!