Progress Not Perfection

Debilitating, disruptive, dysfunctional. These are just a few ways of describing how perfectionism impacts a person's life. Perfectionism is not only linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety, but can also be at the root of many other mental health issues, such as eating disorders and obsessive compulsive behaviors. Perfectionism tricks your brain into thinking you are striving for continued growth and success, but the dark reality is that your perfectionism is like a virus spreading through your brain creating negativity and a feeling of being "less than". The difference between seeking perfection versus progress is that perfectionistic thinking will usually result in distressing feelings such as shame, guilt, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, anger, unworthiness, and the like. Below are some examples of perfectionistic thinking versus progress focused thinking:

Perfectionist: "What is wrong with me that I can never get this right?"

Growth-focused: "Well, I wish that had gone better. Let me figure out what I can do different for next time."

Perfectionist: "I probably won't be good at it anyway, so why try."

Growth-focused: "This will be a challenge, but sometimes challenges are fun. I'm curious to see what happens."

It is important to note that a person can be high achieving, successful, and motivated without being critical and judgmental of themselves. Every time you talk to yourself negatively, you create discouragement and doubt. If you want to perform at your best, then work to create a mental head space that promotes compassion, empathy, honesty, open-mindedness, and curiosity. It boils down to this, if your goal is to feel healthy, happy, motivated, and successful then focus on progress and not perfection.

For more on perfectionism watch this TED Talk.

Thank you for reading.

You matter.