Some people have high expectations and strive to live flawless lives. They are frequently referred to as “perfectionists” because they will not accept anything less than perfection. This personality trait manifests in both the professional and personal spheres. A perfectionist wants everything to be perfect and is prepared to work towards it, whether that means hustling and working extra hours at work or serving as the friend who keeps the group together.
That sounds like the perfect quality to possess, doesn’t it? But take another look at it. Pursuing perfection is challenging only because there is no such thing as “perfect.” A perfectionist is emotionally burdened by their pursuit of perfection and is unaware of this.
A study by ScienceDirect in Personality and Individual Differences found that perfectionists have higher anxiety levels and poorer mental health.
Here are five ways that your tendency toward perfection might be hampering your overall development and growth:
Read More: Gift Ideas For Your Depressed Friend On This Friendship Day
1. You cannot learn from mistakes if you are a perfectionist
Perfectionists don’t consider the likelihood of failure. You don’t want to face the possibility that there might be some setbacks on your path to success if you’re a perfectionist.
Nobody wants to fail, but perfectionists find it especially difficult to deal with their emotions and find ways to get back on track. Failure isn’t the most enjoyable experience in life. Immediately after it, we might feel unfortunate, but it teaches us how to better ourselves over time. Understanding the cause of our failure allows us to address our weaknesses, increasing our chances of success and fostering resilience.
2. Being a perfectionist prevents you from taking chances
Perfectionists typically take the safe route. You lose out on opportunities and real-world experience when you refuse to take any chances. You feel more at ease in your current situation because of your fear of the unknown, which causes you to become growth-stagnant. Calculated risk-takers expose themselves to a wide range of opportunities. They are empowered to take risks and pursue success.
3. Pursuing perfection won’t equip you to handle the unexpected
Without a doubt, those who put in the effort will succeed. You cannot, however, deny that some unanticipated events may become barriers preventing you from achieving your objectives. Therefore, those who put in a lot of effort must also have the flexibility to adjust as necessary. If you’re a perfectionist, you’re likely to resist the change that could make or break you.
4. Pursuing perfection can make you feel overburdened
It can become stressful and draining to strive for perfection constantly and live a life free of errors. You can become fearful of things ever going wrong. As a result of regularly checking your work, your confidence gradually erodes. Your productivity and your work’s caliber may suffer if you constantly feel overburdened. Allow yourself to make blunders so that you can grow from them.
Read More: The Perfect Mental Health Playlist: 5 Songs For Reducing Anxiety
Takeaway
Being “perfect” has the drawback of leaving no room for development. You’re not allowing yourself to grow when you don’t try to get better and maintain the status quo. Every aspect of life that a perfectionist avoids, from failure to change, is what molds a person. One can clear the way to success by accepting them and learning how to deal with them.
Let us take you to read more on some Inspirational Quotes For Building Self Confidence so that you can build self-confidence and not really strive to be confident. To learn, click here.
To build a supportive society and learn more about mental health, subscribe to https://yourmentalhealthpal.com/.