WAYS TO GET BEYOND PERFECTIONISMBY LAUNCHYOURGENIUS.COM12

1.“Good enough is good enough. Perfect will make you a big fat mess every time.” ― Rebecca WellsACTION TIPS:

BECOME AWARE OF PERFECTIONISM OPERATING IN YOUR LIFE. ARE YOU STOPPING YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU ARE TRYING TO BE A PERFECTIONIST? MAKE A SHORT INVENTORY OF YOUR LIFE AND WHERE YOU ARE BEING A PERFECTIONIST.

2.ACTION TIPS:

PERFECTIONISM COMES IN DIFFERENT FORMS: SELF IMPOSED, IMPOSING ON OTHERS AND SOCIAL. IT MAY OR MAY NOT INDUCE STRESS AND OTHER MALADAPTIVE STATES.

3.“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won’t have to die.” ― Anne Lamott

ACTION TIPS: CAST ASIDE PROGRAMS AND BELIEFS THAT PREDISPOSE YOU TOWARDS UNREALISTIC PERFECTIONISM. QUESTION THE VALIDITY OF ASSUMPTIONS THAT THESE BELIEFS ARE BASED UPON AND CHOOSE NEW BELIEFS. 

understand the types of Perfectionism  “At its 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

awareness that we are stuck

cast aside unsupportive past beliefs

4. “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.”- VoltaireACTION TIPS:

BECOME AWARE THAT THE PERFECTIONISM TRAP IS A CYCLE OF UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS, EXCESSIVELY HIGH STANDARDS, INCORRECT ASSESSMENT, STRESS, OVERWHELM AND SELF-CENSURE.  BREAK THE CYCLE OF MALADAPTIVE PERFECTIONISM BY DECIDING TO CONSCIOUSLY REDUCE THE STRESS ASSOCIATED WITH PERFORMANCE.

let go of Anxiety and Stress

5.“It’s in our biology to trust what we see with our eyes. This makes living in a carefully edited, overproduced and photoshopped world very dangerous.” ― Brené Brown

ACTION TIPS: UNDERSTAND THAT FEAR, SHAME AND LOW SELF-WORTH MAY BE ORCHESTRATING THE PERFECTIONISM. EMBRACE THE OPPOSITE: EXCITEMENT, ACCEPTANCE AND GREAT SELF-WORTH. AFFIRM AND BELIEVE THAT YOUR WORK IS GOOD ENOUGH. DO NOT ENGAGE WITH SELF-DEFEATING THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS.

release Fear, Low Self-Worth and Shame

6.“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” – Rumi

ACTION TIPS: CAST ASIDE SELF-CRITICISM AND SELF-BLAME THAT IS PROPELLING YOUR PERFECTIONISM FORWARD. CHOOSE SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND PRAISE YOUR WORK AS GOOD ENOUGH.  

Blame, Self-Criticism and Criticism From Others: The Judgment Trap

7. “Perfectionism is not a prerequisite for anything but pain.” ― Danna FauldsACTION TIPS:

ADDRESS YOUR TRUST AND SAFETY ISSUES. TAKE VERY SMALL STEPS TOWARDS DELEGATING TASKS TO OTHERS AND LOOSEN THE GRIP ON CONTROL. TAKE SMALL RISKS TOWARDS ALLOWING YOURSELF TO BE LESS PERFECTIONISTIC IN YOUR APPROACH.  DEVELOP A SENSE OF SAFETY AND TRUST IN YOURSELF AND THE ABILITY OF OTHERS.   

Trust, Safety and control Issues

8.“But I am learning that perfection isn’t what matters. In fact, it’s the very thing that can destroy you if you let it.” ― Emily Giffin

ACTION TIPS: SET UP STRUCTURES, RULES AND DEADLINES TO MANAGE PERFECTIONISM.   ENLIST SOCIAL SUPPORT TO WORK THROUGH SOME OF YOUR PERFECTIONISM ISSUES.

Set Up Rules and Deadlines for Your Project: Structures that Work

9. “We freeze up because we expect a certain result or because we want things to be perfect.” ― Bernie Glassman

ACTION TIPS: MANY PERFECTIONISTS THINK IN BLACK AND WHITE. IT IS ALL OR NOTHING. HOW ARE YOU THINKING? IF ON A SCALE FROM 1 TO 10, 7-10 BEING A GREAT JOB AND 1-3 BEING A POORLY DONE JOB, WHERE WOULD YOU PLACE YOURSELF? PERFECTIONISTS= MORE THAN 10 ALWAYS! UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU STAND IN THE SCALE OF PERFECTIONISM AND DIAL IT BACK A NOTCH. 

Getting Realistic and Dropping Standards

10. “90 percent perfect and shared with the world always changes more lives than 100 percent perfect and stuck in your head.” ― Jon Acuff

ACTION TIPS: UNDERSTAND YOUR TARGET AND THE STEPS FORWARD TO PREVENT GETTING CAUGHT UP IN DETAILS. BECOME VERY CLEAR ABOUT YOUR START POINT AND YOUR END POINT.

Moving Forward: Small Steps to overcome

11.“The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake - you can't learn anything from being perfect. “-Adam Osborne

ACTION TIPS: TEST EVERYTHING OUT FOR YOURSELF AND USE THE POWER OF THE SCIENTIFIC PROCESS TO BUST THROUGH THE FALSE FOUNDATIONS OF PERFECTIONISM. REPLACE THE DEEPEST MOTIVATIONS BEHIND PERFECTIONISM WITH A HIGHER PURPOSE AND VALUE. SHIFT THE FOCUS FROM YOURSELF TO A GREATER GOOD. 

Become a Scientist in Your own Life: Observe, Experiment and Change the Core Concepts

12.“Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.” -Salvador Dali

ACTION TIPS: A NEW MODEL FOR PERFECTION: EXCELLENCE!  

REPLACE PERFECTIONISM WITH: EXCELLENCE + SIMPLICITY + KAIZEN (CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT) + FOCUS + IMPERFECTION OR GOOD ENOUGH + ENJOY THE JOURNEY + ABILITY TO FAIL  + REDUCE STRESS.

A new Model: Value the Process 

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