Do you always worry that you didn’t do a good job?

Do you always question your work

and your actions? Are you afraid of admitting your mistakes? Does rejection make
you feel like shit?
If so, you’re in great danger.
I’m not a perfectionist myself. At least, that’s what I try to tell myself. I bet
that you try to tell yourself that as well. In fact, the people who don’t admit it
are the worst.
But here’s the thing: If you’re a perfectionist, you’re just a procrastinator with
a mask. It’s no different from someone who’s lazy and does nothing at all.
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look. A perfectionist…
Always waits for the right moment.
Never makes mistakes.
Always needs more time.
But at the end of the day, life and work is about outcomes. Results matter.
And if you’re a perfectionist you might get the outcomes some day. But the question
is: When? And, at what cost?
Research specifically shows that perfectionism is closely related to depression and
low self-esteem.
“Perfectionists are their own devils.” —Jack Kirby
Is the price of perfectionism really worth it?
I’ve found that perfectionism is just another form of procrastination. When you
constantly worry about making mistakes, doubt creeps in your mind. And that causes
indecision.
There are two types of perfectionists:
The one that never starts. You want to achieve something, but you immediately start
doubting yourself. You think: “I don’t think I can do it.” So you never start.
The one that starts but has too high standards. You set a goal. You work hard
(maybe too hard). But you’ve set your goals so high, that you’re always failing
yourself.
Both scenarios can cause the following: Anxiety, worry, depression, and Type A
behavior.
These are things that we rather avoid. Joachim Stöber and Jutta Joormann, who
studied Worry, Procrastination, and Perfectionism, write:
“The combination of concern over mistakes and procrastination may be a crucial
factor in the maintenance of worry. On the one hand, it may prolong existing
threats because no steps are taken to cope. On the other hand, it may increase
existing threats or even produce additional threats because initially solvable
problems will pile up, thus creating an overload of problems that may finally be
insoluble.”
And that feeling of being helpless is the biggest pitfall for us. Because what do
we do when we feel helpless? Exactly—we give up. Just look at the studies about
Learned Helplessness.
However, perfectionism is not always bad. In fact, some studies suggest
perfectionism is related to greater achievement. But that’s not the question here.
Of course, when you set higher goals and if you have higher standards; you achieve
more. Without a doubt, perfectionistic tendencies can be a good thing.
But as we all know, achieving goals is not the only thing in life. It’s more about
HOW we reach our goals and aspirations.