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Why Overcome Perfectionism?
If you truly want to move forward with your life it is important to learn how to overcome perfectionism.
Perfectionism keeps us in a constant critical thinking loop. Many people never try new things because they think they have to be perfect.
Perfectionism is thinking that everything we do must be perfect. The problem with this is that it prevents us from getting started at anything.
Perfectionism creates confusion. If you fill your mind with too much information before getting started it can be so overwhelming we don’t know where to start.
We are meant to learn by doing and when we shove our brain with too much information in order to be perfect, we actually prevent ourselves from learning things as quickly as we could.
Perfectionism is more rampant than ever because so much information is available. Many people think they have to know absolutely everything before they can get started.
5 Ways to overcome Perfectionism and Start Moving Forward…
1) Realize you can always Revise
If you are not perfect at something at first, you can always revise.
This is especially true today in the digital age. We can rewrite paragraphs, edit movies, and make many other changes whenever we want.
But if you don’t get started because of perfectionism then you have nothing to revise.
2) Try not being a Perfectionist and see what Happens
An easy way to overcome perfectionism is to simply start doing things without worrying about being perfect.
Start a “perfectionism” journal and write down all the things you’ve wanted to do, but haven’t started because of fear of not being perfect.
Now start doing those things without worrying about whether or not you are good at it.
Record the results in your journal. Did the world end? Was it as horrible as you thought it would be?
The only way to really overcome perfectionism is to get used to not being perfect and start being okay with that!
I have gotton so used to being bad at things I feel awkward if I’m not the “worst person in the class.” This is because I am constantly learning new things and I understand that sucking in the beggining is part of the process.
After all life can get very boring if you stop trying new things!
3) Check out the Earlier Works of Successful People
No one is good at something when they first get started at it.
People who are good at things have spent a lot of time doing them. No-one starts off perfect at anything.
Even so-called geniuses put a lot of time and energy into their crafts.
If there is someone doing what you aspire to do, try to find their earlier works. Even major “influencers” were once awkward in front of a camera.
When I first started reading the earlier works of authors I admired, I realized they were never nearly as good as their later works.
This encouraged me because my writing was not anywhere I wanted it to be and I wondered if it was even worth pursuing.
It wasn’t until I read those books that I realized that I too could reach that potential if I kept at it.
4) Realize that Perfectionism Prevents you from Getting anywhere close to Perfect
If perfectionism is preventing you from getting started at something then there is no way you can come close to mastering that skill.
In order to achieve something you have to eventually get your feet wet. It is by constant improvement that we get better at things.
When you understand that perfectionism is not helping you to get closer to your goals, it is much easier to let go of.
5) Realize that it doesn’t matter if people Judge you for not being Perfect
If someone is rude or judgemental without offering constructive criticism, then that person’s opinion does not matter.
People that put people down for not being perfect are afraid to try anything themselves. They are just projecting their own fear of failure.
If you realize this it is easy to let go of the fear of being judged for not being perfect.
6) Therapy can also help overcome Perfectionism
One of the root causes of perfectionism is a feeling of not being good enough. Low self-esteem can actually create a need to be perfect.
This is because if being seen as less than perfect can further enhance the belief that we are not good enough.
Therapy can help change negative patterns of thought that might be behind the constant need to be perfect at everything.
The more you develop sense of self worth, the less desire there is to be seen as perfect by others.
You can find a directory of online therapists here.
Overcoming perfectionism does not mean that you are not improving your skills. In fact, letting go of perfectionism allows you to hone your craft and get closer to your goals.
I have been able to do so much more in my life to day life since I let go of being perfect, and I hope that these tips help you to do the same!
Need some Guidance in your journey….
I am a lifecoach specializing in happiness and life purpose.
Because I believe everyone’s needs and goals are different I offer as little or as many sessions as needed.
For a free 15 minute consultation e-mail me at aglassofcheri@gmail.com
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