“At it’s root, perfectionism isn’t really about a deep love of being meticulous. It’s about fear. Fear of making a mistake. Fear of disappointing others. Fear of failure. Fear of success.”
Michael Law
Are you good at being a perfectionist, I wonder……..
Do you have VERY high standards for yourself? And does it feel like you always come up short?
Do you feel as though you’re not good enough?
Do you often feel disappointed in yourself?
Do you pride yourself in getting things right?
Maybe you’re kind and accepting of others’ mistakes but you make sure you never make any…….maybe you REALLY hate making mistakes…..
Maybe you hate learning new things because you can’t bear looking stupid when you don’t yet know how to do something properly…..
The trouble with a being a perfectionist is it’s so hard to enjoy yourself – it can feel as though nothing comes up to your standards, it’s disappointing; your day/week/career/life/partner never comes up to scratch.
Here are some ways of doing life a bit differently and having more fun:
- Love and be kind to yourself ALWAYS, even and especially when you make mistakes
- Encourage yourself to take risks and get things wrong, or at least not perfectly right
- Stand up, lift your arms high, and say loudly ‘I love making mistakes’ (and laugh)
- Learn new things and get them wrong, laugh again, and choose to let people see you enjoying yourself while you learn
Experiment with these ideas this month and see what changes for you and those around you