03/08/2020
“I'm a perfectionist.”
Have you ever heard someone say that or have you?
I know I have said it. I used to think it was my superpower as a brand designer.
I mean when your passion is design, you get so focused on the minute details of creating an artwork, that you would spend hours and hours trying tweaking it, right?....coz it needs to be just PERFECT?
Also noticed how perfectionism rears its head in every other area of your life too and not just in the creative field?
When does it stop? Is perfection a worthwhile goal or is it a mentally, emotionally draining whirlpool fantasy that can stunt your growth, suck you into procrastination and make you lose sight of valuable opportunities?
Don't get me wrong. Aiming and striving for excellence in any field is a worthwhile goal provided its coupled with ability, resilience, a brilliant work ethic and a healthy amount of self love. Not just focusing on the end goal but also enjoying the process. But as we are seeing globally, aiming for perfection is setting one self for a host of issues that can is ironically isn't beneficial for 'perfection'.
In her talk with Chris Do, psychologist Dr. Margaret Rutherford calls it, 'Perfectly hidden depression'.
The more I realised it, read about it and spoke about it – I decided, 'F*** it. This needs to change'.
Enter Mel Robbins 5 Second Rule that has been a guiding force for taking action. Yet at times, we can forget too & then someone reminds us about it in their own unique way. On one of our group coaching calls 2 days ago, Dain Walker reminded me, 'Keep going. Not sure of what you are doing? Post anyway. Keep at it. You will figure it out along the way.'
So 5-4-3-2-1
How are you handling perfectionism?
Comment below.