I was out on a walk by a river the other day and the perfect reflection in its water reminded me that I haven't written about perfectionism - a subject close to my heart - for a while.
Previously I have pondered on how sometimes our fear of failure can mean we miss out on opportunities because we never actually start.
This time, I'm thinking about how perfectionism can also mean we never actually stop - and this causes us to miss out too.
I'm talking about that need to read an extra book for an essay or research piece- just in case we find something more; the need to feed our children a healthy balanced meal every single time or else; to be seen to be working all hours in the office (or on zoom) because it's what's expected (or so we think).
When we keep telling ourselves that we must strive for perfection in this way, what we often end up with is the opposite - we exhaust ourselves and the things we are trying to achieve don't turn out so well.
The human condition is not meant to be perfect - especially in the world we live in right now. If you recognise any of these traits in yourself (I am certainly still working on mine!), try cutting yourself some slack. I'll bet you find that nothing bad happens, but that good things happen instead. You may find new ways of doing that move you forward; find you have more time for the other things in your life; and that the end result you are striving for turns out the same, if not better.
See if you can free yourself and let go. Aim for something other than perfect and notice the difference it makes.
