I’ve been told that I’m a perfectionist. I do like things to be a certain way. I’ll keep working on something until I have it just right. It might take me a little longer than I’d like to finish things because I’m busy tinkering. Ms. Perfect complex? I dunno.
What I know is that I can be a procrastinator. All of that tinkering and “making things perfect” only delays progress. I’m working on it and I’ve gotten much better. I’m so much better about saying something and doing something without the lag time. I’ve been thinking a lot about being a perfectionist and what that means. People throw around the word perfectionist all of the time. It’ s usually said as a compliment and worn as a badge of honor. Here’s what I think. On our quest to get things just right, aren’t we all really just procrastinating? Is it the need for perfection that keeps us tinkering or is it the fear of just letting things go and getting our projects out there?
“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough – that we should try again.” – Julia Cameron
With me, I really do think it’s a little bit of both. I tweak things because I want them to be just right. I don’t want to look at things later and think of all the things I could have done differently. On the other side of the coin, I know that all of my adjustments only delay things. That delay is the exact opposite of what I want. It only brings on guilt when I know I should be done with something but can’t stop “fixing” it. Here’s what we all need to remember:
“Perfection is overrated. Success is not.’ – Lauren Zalaznick {tweet this}
So, I’ve decided for me that perfectionism is actually glorified procrastination. Being a perfectionist can sometimes hide the doubts we have about ourselves or what we’re doing. Are you a perfectionist? What is your perfectionism hiding? Tell me about it in the comments!
3 Comments on Hey Ms. Perfect! What are you hiding?
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I love the look of your website! I can relate. An interesting question is what is the difference between a commitment to excellence and perfectionism. I heard a speaker on Oprah (Brenee someone) who said “When perfectionism is in the driver seat, shame is riding shot gun.” That seems pretty strong to me, but I am going to pick up her book..”
I work with Lamar – he’s awesome!
I’m a perfectionist too. I guess because we are our worst critics.
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