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These were the words I wrote on a sticky note as a loving, yet firm reminder that if I continue to choose perfection over progress, I am choosing to miss extraordinary moments of my life. And for a short while, I did.
Sometimes high standards go into overdrive and become a need for perfection. I hear you; I know what your high achieving mind is thinking - “but Gena, striving for perfection is a motivating force that helped me achieve goals - big goals”. Yes, been there done that and that's what the wellness world refers to as healthy perfectionism. That's beautiful when balancing your high standards with the capacity to override the paralyzing need of being flawless works.
The hard truth is, research has shown that 92% of people are affected by perfectionism*.😲😲😲 I fall into that 92%, I've let my high achieving standards go too far that I became paralyzed with the need of flawlessness, appropriately coined “perfection paralysis”.
Many of my clients who are brilliantly ambitious have had an occasion to desire perfection or experience some form of “perfection paralysis” and its held them back from experiencing something they want in life, often something that means a great deal to them.
Perfectionism is a thief.
It comes in the night and takes the peace out of your sleep.
It pulls you out of the moment of a loved one's laughter.
It robs you of your birth right to be humanly imperfect.
It smothers your creativity.
It injects incessant worry about the smallest details, leaving you with indecision and delay.
It convinces you to wait for the “right” moment or conditions to start something.
It depresses your system and leaves you anxious.
And when you realize that perfection is unattainable, you avoid important work and new challenges that prevent you from creating the life you really want.
You might be experiencing perfection paralysis if you…
✔ Have immobilizing fear of failing.
✔ Can't make forward movement because you’re so scared the results won’t hit your high standards, or someone else's, that you’re unable to even begin a project or goal.
✔ Feel stressed out and trapped, unable to harness your full potential and are missing opportunities because of an undetermined fear.
Does any of this sound or feel familiar?
If so, what has your pursuit of flawlessness brought you?
Cost you?
Is perfectionism stealing your joy?
If your need for perfection overrides progress and is holding you back from experiencing something you want in life, follow these four simple steps.
1. Prioritize your energy by looking at the big picture
Perspective goes awry when experiencing perfection paralysis.
Take a high level look at your to do list—and your life.
What matters most? Pick one thing.
Break it into smaller parts.
Choose the standard you want to execute with what matters most to you.
For the rest, let done be good enough.
2. Experiment with letting one thing be imperfect.
What if your imperfect work is more valuable than a flawless result?
What one thing in your life today can be good enough?
3. Take the next best step.
What one small step can you to take today?
How will you adjust your standards to get it done?
4. Flip it on its head
Flip it on it's head is an activating way to change the narrative. You flip it because you are choosing to change the script in that moment.
What's your first thought about choosing progress over perfection?
What are you feeling when you think that?
Next
What is the first thought you want to have about choosing progress over perfection?
What is the feeling you want to have?
Now
Tell yourself the intentional thought + feeling.
Refer to this, write it down, ruminate on the full impact.
Have it in front of you to remind you, you are enough + healthy striving outperforms perfectionism every time.
Here's to progress over perfection!
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