How to Beat the Perfectionism Holding You Back – 3 Tips
Perfectionism –
per·fec·tion·ism/pərˈfekSHəˌnizəm/noun
the refusal to accept any standard short of perfection.
Yeah, sounds crazy…but some of us still do it! Some idea of perfection we paint in our heads and know we can’t attain, yet spend our days worrying and trying to achieve it. It’s a daily battle, but we can win. Below are three tips to help you beat perfectionism.
1. JUST START
I know. Easier said than done. But really, just start the first thing on your to-do list. Set a timer for 10 minutes and get to work. Chances are you’ll be in the zone and want to keep working. Procrastination and perfectionism are basically BFFs. If you’re a perfectionist, the toughest part of doing a task is truly just getting over the hump of starting.
2. MESS UP ON PURPOSE
What? Yeah, intentionally do something wrong or incomplete. Fighting against perfectionism takes practice. You need to constantly show yourself that you don’t have to be 100% all the time, and it’s okay. I know perfect is unattainable, but sometimes I need to show myself. Perfectionism is a fear of failure, and the only way to get over fears is to face them head on, and crush them!
3. DAILY AFFIRMATIONS OR MANTRAS
You need to get realistic and give yourself grace each and everyday. Replace your old thought with new ones, and eventually you will start to believe them yourself.
Examples:
– done > perfect
– nobody is perfect
– what others think of me is none of my business
– the only thing I can do is my best, the rest will work itself out
– even the ripest, juiciest strawberry is disliked by some, and that’s okay
But most importantly, just enjoy the journey. As perfectionists we tend to be focused on goals and success(or I suppose the lack of failure). I have to constantly remind myself of these each day. Start implementing these tips and you’ll be on your way to beating perfectionism in no time.
Here’s a great video I recently watched about perfectionism. I thought he explained it so well, almost like he was in my head haha.
Do you struggle with perfectionism? Drop how you cope or any thoughts or questions below! As always, subscribe to Health with KJ to stay up to date with new posts.
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Yes! This is so on point!
We will find too that really perfectionism is sometimes a sign of something else deeper at play. Why do you feel it needs to be perfect? Is something making you afraid of just putting it out there or doing the thing?
Challenge yourself and you will grow from it.
Definitely! The only way we grow is out of our comfort zone 🙂
This is so true. Not starting because you fear that it’s not going to be good enough. I’ve tried for a long time to give myself permission to focus on the journey and not just on that endpoint. It isn’t easy especially on days where you more tired or more stressed but slowly I’ll conquer it.
Always a work in progress, but still in progress!
Thank you for this post! I had to laugh at the idea of messing up on purpose. I can’t imagine doing that, but that’s definitely a good idea to get yourself used to getting things done even if not perfect. I like your affirmations. Done definitely is greater than perfect!
For sure, messing up on purpose can seem really strange, but it’s good for people (like me) who take themselves way too seriously haha. Appreciate the comment, AlSilva!
These are great tips to silence the negative voice in our heads that tries to hold us back from greatness. We are all great. We just have to realize it and blaze our path to it.
Yes!!! We are all great! Love that, Shanna, thanks for the comment.
Well, this post was clearly for me…haha. I love that you say to clearly mess up and that we need to fight against perfectionism because that is something that I know I did not think of. Thank you for this post!
Anytime Shannon! I wrote it in part for myself as well. We need to actively combat perfectionism to overcome!
Done > Perfect. That is a hard pill to swallow for some, but truer words have never been spoken.
Thank you for these tips. I’m guilty of perfectionism from time to time, and these tips will help the next time perfectionist thoughts creep into my head.
Glad this could help, Kyle! It’s always great to have a little reminder every once in a while.
I love the suggestion vto mess up on purpose. I have never thought of this but makes perfect sense ..to push yourself out of perfection.
Exactly! You can never grow in your comfort zone. Appreciate the comment, Lindsay!
YES done is better than perfect. After reading your post I’ll make an effort to consider done “perfect”. Because a lot of times just getting the content out is what matters, not whether it’s perfect or not. Plus, perfect is subjective. What might be perfect to me might well not be perfect to my readers. So why aim for perfect right sisters? Kris
So so true! Perfection is soooo subjective. My sister and I have such different styles and preferences, and what looks amazing to her might just look pretty good to me. Either way, pretty good is good enough 🙂 Thanks, Kris!