You don’t need to be perfect

Being perfect may be desirable for you, as you try to meet high standards and achieve excellence. But you are who you are and there is nothing wrong about it. Life is a game and there is nothing to lose if you accept your imperfections. You don’t need to be perfect. Your small imperfections won’t hurt you. See them as learning experiences that will help you grow and become better. Keep an open mind and accept yourself for who you are.

Why you don’t need to be perfect

Don’t try to be perfect. Perfection is an unattainable standard. The pursuit of perfection will only make you feel stressed and unhappy. It makes you focus on your flaws instead of your strengths. Then you’ll have low self-esteem and think low of yourself. Trying to be perfect will have opposite outcomes. It will damage your growth, as you’ll be afraid of making mistakes and taking calculated risks.

What is perfect is subjective and it changes depending on your situation. You, like everybody else, are inherently flawed and capable of making mistakes. Additionally, expectations and standards from society and modern way of life will play a role in your perception of perfection. This is something that will lead you to conflicting ideals and unattainable goals. There will always be room for improvement if you want to become better.

Trying to be perfect can lead you to an endless cycle of dissatisfaction as perfection is unachievable. You have to recognize that everyone makes mistakes as everyone has flaws, and it is okay to be imperfect. When you try to be perfect, it can often lead to procrastination and inability to take action. The fear of failure will be more important for you. This can be an obstacle to your personal development as you leave no room for progress, and you may miss important opportunities.

Perfectionism can make you excessively self-critical from constant dissatisfaction. You set extremely high standards for yourself which are difficult to meet. As a result, you overwork yourself, something that leads to stress and fatigue. Then, pressure will take its toll. It will create anxiety that can have a big impact on your mental health. This constant pressure and self-imposed stress can lead to burnout, leaving you physically and emotionally drained, leading to further stress and even depression.

What perfectionism does to you

Trying to be perfect can have a big impact in your health, your personal development, your progress and your success among others. It can be very harmful for your life as you imagine it to be. It makes go through a process where nothings seem to be right and nothing makes you happy, although happiness is a choice. There are many direct disadvantages of perfectionism.

Procrastination

To begin with, perfectionism can lead to procrastination. When you always try to be perfect, you may become so focused on it that you avoid taking action until the conditions are just right or until you feel fully prepared. This means that opportunities may be missed, or progress may be delayed unnecessarily.

Fear of failure

If you always try to be perfect in everything you do, your fear of failure grows bigger. Then you avoid taking any action at all. Then you get stagnant, and your personal growth or progress become elusive. You begin having unrealistic expectations for yourself, which make you always feel disappointed and frustrated when things do not go according to your plan. This, in turn can damage your mindset you need to have to flourish.

Self-sabotage

Perfectionism can become a form of self-sabotage. When you need to be perfect you only see the negative aspects of your progress. Your confidence takes a hit, and you feel unworthy. You undermine your own efforts to achieve something good in life. Surely, perfection is essential at some point, but if it is your norm, it can be counterproductive. Your creativity and productivity can suffer. You end up sabotaging yourself as you miss opportunities that may never come again.

Negative self-talk

When you try to be perfect in everything you do you become overly critical, and you end up with negative self-talk. You hurt yourself emotionally and this can paralyze you. Your thinking patterns become rigid, leaving you with no room for flexibility and adaptability to face any unexpected challenges. This can only bring you more pressure and additional stress that is difficult to manage.

Bad social life

Then, your unreasonable need for perfection and your impossibly high standards can damage your social life. You start avoiding any social situations, and you know what comes next: you isolate yourself. This happens because you falsely feel inadequate and inferior from others. Wanting to be perfect can also make you to turn down invitations and opportunities because you become afraid of not meeting expectations. Put all these together and loneliness will become your best friend!

Ruined finances

Finally, perfectionism can ruin your finances. You get to overspend on high-quality or too expensive products, because you believe that you need them to be perfect. Well, you don’t. A simple life is much more fulfilling. You may also delay important financial decisions or investments, as you wait for the perfect option. That way, you miss opportunities, your finances suffer.

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How to overcome perfectionism

Perfectionism is a characteristic of your personality. This characteristic can bring you significant difficulties personal and professional life. You get to struggle to enjoy even the simple pleasures of life. It is something though, that can be changed. There are some ways through which you can fight perfectionism and make the change you need.

Recognize it as a problem

The first step to fight perfectionism is to recognize it as a problem. You need to understand that this problem is damaging to your life. Try to acknowledge the negative impact of perfectionism, and then start to challenge your unrealistic expectations and become more reasonable with yourself. You could seek support from a therapist to help you in addressing any underlying issues or a life coach to guide you in restructuring your mindset. Accepting your imperfections can be the beginning of a newfound love to yourself.

Love yourself

Self-love is important. It helps you avoid the vicious cycle of self-criticism. When you decide to love yourself, you accept that your best effort may not result in perfection and that is doesn’t matter. You believe that no matter if you are perfect or not, you are worthy and you deserve to be happy. When you love yourself you stop harming yourself as you only want the best for you. You reduce the pressure you feel, and you start to change to the best version of yourself.

Reframe your mindset

You can reframe your mindset. A growth mindset can take you far. It will allow you to see mistakes or failure as opportunities instead of disasters. Change your mindset and instead of focusing on perfection, try to focus on learning and growth. This way you can overcome the fear of failure and take calculated risks. You can unlock new possibilities. If you let yourself explore and experiment, you will earn new experiences and opportunities.

Set realistic goals

To overcome perfectionism, you have to do something about your goals. You need to set realistic goals that are challenging but also achievable. Try to understand that you don’t need to be perfect, and that making progress in every goal you set is more important than achieving it perfectly. When you set realistic and achievable goals, you can draw a path with more manageable steps. This will take away from you all the pressure and anxiety as those goals will be easier to achieve.

Have self-compassion

Having self-compassion is also important when you want to overcome perfectionism. Be kind to yourself, stay calm and practice positive self-talk. Also practice self-acceptance, self-kindness, and mindfulness and stop self-criticism. Learn how to appreciate and celebrate even your smallest victories and forgive your mistakes. This way you can boost your self-esteem and build a better relationship with yourself away from perfectionism.

Focus on the positives

Focusing on the positives helps you overcome perfectionism as it takes away the focus from your flaws and mistakes and highlights your strengths and achievements. It promotes feelings of self-worth and confidence. It also allows you to acknowledge and appreciate the progress you make instead of getting swamped by what you think is unacceptable. Focusing on the positives can boost your motivation and make you more optimistic and capable to enjoy life.

Remove bad influences

Then, perfectionism may often come from pressure from society, family, or other people in your life. Negative influences can make it harder for you and increase the pressure. When you mess with the wrong people, you end up feeling inadequate. This amplifies the never-ending cycle of living for impossible perfection. Remove those bad influences. You don’t need them. Have perspective, reassess your own values, redefine your recipe for success and only accept in your life people that make you feel good.

The secret recipe for your success!

Accept criticism

With the right people in your life, accept criticism. It will help you overcome perfectionism as you acknowledge that there can be areas of improvement. Don’t be defensive or dismissive when you receive feedback. Healthy criticism allows for growth, and helps you realize that making mistakes is part of the learning process. If you accept it, it changes your perspective and takes the pressure to be perfect away from you. Criticism from mentors, colleagues, or good friends can give you insights and perspectives to improve your life and be happy.

Mistakes happen

Either you try to be perfect or not, mistakes happen, and it’s natural. Of course, it’s also natural to feel guilty or ashamed of them sometimes, and sometimes they can be serious or even life changing. Remember though, that mistakes don’t define you. Don’t become overwhelmed or feel bad for what happened. Blaming yourself is not productive nor will help you. Mistakes are experience.

They will help you get better for your next effort. Mistakes will teach you how to take calculated risks and try new things. They will help you step outside of your comfort zone and boost your confidence to seize every opportunity appears. Change in life is inevitable and mistakes can trigger it. They change your path, force you to reassess your goals and make adjustments to your plans.

So how can you make mistakes to work for your benefit? To get yourself out of the cycle of self-imposed need for perfection, practice taking imperfect action, even if it will lead to mistakes. You will see that not being perfect is not such a big deal. The world around you won’t collapse as you might were thinking. It will make you become more aware of the consequences of your decisions and be more mindful of your choices in the future. It will help you gain a better understanding of the bigger picture, where you might not the centre of attraction.

Innovation and creativity stem from mistakes. Trial and error will help you come up with new ideas and solutions. After you identify what went wrong you will take responsibility, refine your strategies and assume better action. Mistakes can give you the motivation you need to get back up on your feet and try your best to achieve the goals you have and reach the change you need.