In the current landscape of media and social media (the “highlight” era), it’s easy to believe that there is a certain “standard” that must be met, or a way that everything should feel and look.
That if we don’t reach or meet these “standards,” then we aren’t good enough.
These thoughts, or emotions are not usually conscious.
However, if we become aware of this falsity and move beyond the crippling effect of perfectionism, we usually see rapid improvements and growth.
Perfectionism (which stems from fear) can have a number of costs:
1. Not even starting – “I’m not going to even bother.”
2. Starting, but quickly dropping out, or giving up once we learn the intricacies of the endeavour (what it really “should” look like). “Ah, I thought I was getting somewhere, now I realise that I’ve got such a long way to go.”
3. No enjoyment during the journey. This is common – “Yeah, it’s going OK, a lot of room for improvement though.”
4. No enjoyment at the end of the journey (at whatever level or time that is) – “I wasn’t good enough when I did it”
If we can crest over this hill and cultivate the ability to stand alone and appreciate (or even LOVE) where we are at, then we have already dropped a significant barrier to progress (fear).
We all start at the beginning, but perfectionism can keep you there, or keep you miserable if you manage to get a little further along.
