Recall school times - exams, tests, dictations. What did our work
look like then? Each mistake was highlighted in red - it focused
attention. What I did well remained intact, disappeared in the
background while errors came to the fore. Over the years of education,
we've been taught that mistakes should be avoided at all costs.
What
is perfectionism? In this way we were taught at school - avoiding
mistakes at all costs, transferred to other aspects of life than school.
The whole reality is full of errors, it does not meet the expectations
of perfectionists, including me. Striving for perfection, he almost
always finds something flaw, imperfection in what he does. On the other
hand, it is a source of great tension and stress, a very tempting
prospect of creating something perfect, perfect, once and for all.
Perfectionism
seems to be a useful character trait - it is characterized by
ambitious, precise, focused people who need to be reached.
Unfortunately, on the other hand, perfectionism is toxic, a lot of
energy is lost, avoiding mistakes. Even worse, perfectionism spreads to
all of everyday life, including interpersonal relationships, and does
not save self-esteem.
The relationship between perfectionism and procrastination
We
all know when we are dealing with procrastination - we postpone
unpleasant work for later, doing other activities (for example, I will
clean the bike of dust, instead of writing a mandatory blog post).
Perfectionism works a little differently - I'm never ready to do
something or the current situation is not quite favorable: it is not the
best time to change jobs, see a doctor, enter an investment.
Through
my studies I have mastered my perfectionism - there were really many
projects that I would be satisfied with. I was much more satisfied with
the positive assessment and no need to spend extra money.
Please watch a short film about perfectionism.
https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_curran_our_dangerous_obsession_with_perfectionism_is_getting_worse#t-410727
Do you see the perfectionist features? Are you fighting or cherishing them?
Or maybe you work with a perfectionist? How would you rate cooperation with such a person?
