Just follow 6 amazing steps of perfectionism: Keep the dangers at Bay!

• Do you always look around to gather perfectionism and approval from people?
• Is it challenging for you to accept your flaws?
• Do you overwork to add a touch of perfectionism to your task?
• Do you feel anxious to stand below the first position?
• Do you never find yourself in a satisfactory domain and nothing you do is enough?
• Do you feel a hollowness in your life like you can never attain a perfect goal or be happy?
• Do you hold the stance that if you are not the best, then you are an ultimate failure?

If you give a green signal to most of these questions, chances correspond to your perfectionist instincts. It is somewhat painful. Most people believe that perfection yields better results. It aims to push you towards your goal. I disagree with this explanation because perfectionism is the instinct that leads you towards dangerous compulsion.

A brief concept of astounding perfectionism:

Perfectionism refers to your constant struggle for achieving unrealistic standards. It is characterized by

• overwhelming attempts for perfection
• being highly self-judgmental
• pointing out mistakes from every self-task
• Comparing self-effort and self-worth to excessive achievements
• Constant vexation and restlessness
• Not accepting the tasks below the perfection level
• Perpetual fear of failure

Although, a slight quest for becoming better is acceptable. But when perfectionism reaches the extreme stage, it paves a way for negative consequences. It can lead to various disorders making a hell out of your life. Several disorders caused by extreme perfectionism are:

• Dysmorphia
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Insomnia
• Hypertension
• Heart diseases
• Uncontrolled workaholism
• Social stress and anxiety

Perfectionism doesn’t contribute to your journey towards success rather it proves to be a stumbling block, thus causing numerous hurdles in your attainment of dreams. It can thwart your mental and physical health. It can keep you stuck in extreme planning, works, and an unreal world of magnificence. Being girded by the negative influences of perfectionism, you find yourself deprived of growth opportunities.

“Perfectionism is self-destructive simply because there’s no such thing as perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal.”-Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

“Good enough” is not the cardinal rule of perfectionists. Nothing is perfect and it will never be! You can not unleash your creative ideas in such unrealistic imaginations of being perfect. So why wasting time chasing perfection that leads you nowhere.

The following are some of the bright steps that can help you shun the cloak of perfectionism. Let’s dive into these ideas that create a realm of innovation and exploration!

1.    Create a magical jar of your victories:

This is such an awesome idea. Perfectionists often cry over their mistakes. They don’t acknowledge their good efforts and victories. This idea serves to be a good hack for perfectionists. It enables them to enliven their consistent hard work, passion, and every small or big achievement.

To create your magical jar, you need to:

• Utilize any simple box to cheer up your awesomeness. You can wield an empty mason jar, a shoebox, or even an old vase.
• Form a striking label that denotes that it is an awe-inspiring jar.
• Each time you make a mark such as completing the task before the deadline, utilizing an innovative tool or method, receiving constructive criticism from the clients, fixing up your health care regime, finding new hobbies, learning some new stuff, etc. Jot down each of your accomplishments and drop it into the magical jar of your victories.
• Always PEEK into this jar so that you get a clear notion of your achievements and raise your morale to work better!

Next time you get a red flag of perfectionism, take this jar, give a glance to your victories, muster up inspiration, and then move forward to spread marvels.

2. Breath, Breathe & Breathe Rule:

When you find yourself in a dreary situation in which the deadlines are approaching and lots of files are lying on the table unattended-the only thing you can do is sit down, take a deep breath and do NOTHING! Yes… It may sound absurd but believe me, this idea works. In this short period of unproductivity, you might allow yourself to buckle up for the upcoming great tasks.

                    “Perfectionism is a slow death.”-Hugh Prather

So, you should recede and allow yourself to BREATHE! Do nothing concerned with your work. Go outside and have a nice walk. head towards the gym and regain your physical strength. Pick up a nice book and give it a good read or play some soothing music and relax. Choose any activity that diverts your attention from the work for a little time. For me, painting usually comes to the rescue during unproductive hours. While doing any fun-activity, several ideas related to your work pop up in your mind which might help you accomplish your tasks.

Creativity doesn’t work well within the stressful rooms of your mind. It comes out smoothly without any constraint. Give yourself enough room to think and explore new ideas without any anxiety and depression.

3.    Manage the TICK TOCK of the Clock:

A perfectionist place burdens of works on his back. He works for countless hours and gets exhausted in almost no time. He/she burns the midnight oil to achieve the project perfectly. This is such an arduous situation, the results of which are completely detrimental.

Why allowing yourself to be overworked when you can allocate certain working hours to your tasks? This approach is quite productive because you finish every task within the assigned time. When we are given too much time for completing our tasks, we end up procrastinating it and then the deadline haunts us.

You can fulfill your work by managing the tick-tock of the clock. Set crystal clear boundaries and stick to them firmly. Don’t do any other chore within the work hours. Similarly, don’t work during the relaxing hours. This balance will help you in the long run.

4.    Keep yourself committed to the big picture:

A perfectionist harms himself/herself by other people’s expectations. When such expectations exert power over you, the consequences only direct towards downfall. Do the right thing and allow your self-esteem to reach the zenith. Never let yourself be swayed by the external forces.

remain committed to your end goal. There are always chances of getting lost in the overall misty picture of your creative task. You might probably lose sight of your ultimate big picture. WAIT!!! Don’t fret… You can keep the meticulous tasks at an arm’s length by focusing on the prime aim. Put your efforts into completing the task. A deadline also comes to the assistance as it enables you to remain sane and accomplish the task within the prescribed time. So, a unified framework is the only key that helps you stay focused on your end goal.

5.    Accept that you are human and prone to failure:

Everyone has numerous flaws and not everything goes in the same direction as planned. Humans can make uncountable mistakes. But the real wisdom lies in learning from those mistakes and not repeating them. You can continue to flourish in the cycle of life but things will never be perfect!

“Certain flaws are necessary for the whole. It would seem strange if old friends lacked certain quirks.”-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Perfectionism instills a constant fear of failure in man. It allows the man to overthink every facet of a task and ultimately leads to depression. It never gives a moment of happiness and satisfaction to a man. Make mistakes and realize that you won’t be rejected if you resort to failure. Don’t compare yourself to other people as it will only instigate an inferiority complex in you. The cardinal rule is to compare yourself to yourself and appreciate your little efforts!

6.    Nurture the seed of self-acceptance:

Memorize this universal truth and never forget it: Nobody is perfect! Neither you nor I can reach the acme of perfection. Accept this fact and free yourself from the shackles of stress and depression. Don’t let yourself be played by perfectionism. Once you keep aside the perfectionism, you will witness miracles happening every day.

A perfectionist believes himself to be not good enough. Grab the key to self-acceptance and open the doors of success and happiness. Spend most of your time with people who are trying to improve themselves. Interact with them and live a positive life. Perfectionism is contagious, so keep it away from you!

Perfectionism-An amazing haunting instinct!

“People throw away what they could have by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have, and looking for it where they will never find it.”-Edith Schaeffer

You have a detailed idea about the concept of perfectionism and its dangers. It depends on you to make apt choices and never go after the perfect goals. Striving for the unattainable will only leave you fearful. It’s better to laugh at your mistakes and enjoy feeling like a beginner human once again.

Embrace your imperfect self and open the doors of success!