‘Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.’
In this world where the competition is fierce and you often have to prove yourself, you can quickly feel like you’re not good enough. As a result, your personal standards become sky-high, and you’re never satisfied with anything less.
Many influential people have experienced this struggle. These 30 perfectionist quotes from influential people are intended to inspire you to think differently about yourself and what you do.
Below, you will also find 5 crucial insights to tackle your urge to always do things ‘perfectly’ and be free from this fear.
2. “Without struggles, frustrations, and making the same mistakes, a process isn’t perfect. Only through these difficulties will something reach its full potential.”
3. “Striving for perfection will only prevent you from starting. Begin poorly and frustrated; this is the foundation of a good process and end result.”
4. “The standards you have for yourself are often unattainable. As a result, everything you do and everything you are will never meet those standards. ‘Perfect’ doesn’t actually exist.”
5. “Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead-end street.” – Denis Waitley
6. “It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” – J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series
Knowing that you should not let your fears dictate your actions may sound like an easy task. However, as a perfectionist, this will be quite a challenge.
7. “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” – Roy T. Bennett
It’s about focusing on the positive aspects rather than the negative ones. We often tend to feel discouraged about “what is not yet finished” and which details are not up to par.
9. “This will help you shift towards thinking more in terms of solutions rather than problems.”
10. “Perfectionism prevents you from ever feeling like you have surpassed yourself. It is a creativity killer for generating spontaneous ideas.”
Take control of perfectionism with these 5 insights:
1. Only by making the same mistakes will you grow and surpass yourself.
2. Often, your worst ideas turn out to be your best ideas if you take the effort to develop them.
3. Compare yourself only to yourself and draw inspiration from others. This way, you protect yourself from the feeling of needing to outdo others.
4. Letting go of control can only be achieved by understanding that the “unknown” cannot be controlled. Identify your fears and practice letting go of them.
5. People’s reactions are just a small indication of your self-worth and the value of what you do. Everyone has their own taste, style, and preferences that you can’t always measure up to.
Well, life is not a competition. However, certain things like getting a job can make you feel like you have to win in certain situations. It is therefore an art to transform your insecurity into an expectation that things will go well.
11. “Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning.” – Robert Kiyosaki
This can be challenging. It requires multiple situations where you can consciously become aware that you don’t have to be afraid but can have a positive expectation. This brings so much more peace and relaxation.
Letting go of control
But what if I make the wrong choice? Will I regret it later?
When making choices, you will never know for sure if you won’t regret them later. The key is to get to know yourself better and practice by diving into the deep end. Make choices in small things based on your intuition and common sense, and then see what the outcome is.
12. “The more we try to control, the more we feel controlled. Let go and trust the process.” – Mandy Hale
13. “To let go does not mean to get rid of. To let go means to let be. When we let be with compassion, things come and go on their own.” – Jack Kornfield
14. “If you accept yourself, you will be able to accept less-than-perfect choices. They are necessary to shape you and make you wiser.”
15. “Being a perfectionist is pointless. You need to make mistakes and take wrong turns to know which path is the right one.”
This applies to every situation in life, whether it’s at work, in relationships, or elsewhere. The negative or positive consequences of these choices and decisions are necessary to teach you valuable lessons. By becoming aware of this, your fear of what you cannot control diminishes.
Tackle your self-criticism
16. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” – Steve Jobs
Striving for something that gives you status and security will indeed bring satisfaction. However, life often takes unexpected and new turns that you may not have envisioned. Do you get disappointed when your perfect picture doesn’t turn out exactly as you wanted?
The art is to strive for success from a place of contentment and enthusiasm. Only then will you become even happier and more successful than you already are.
17. “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweit
A powerful quote from Sally Field :
18. ‘It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else’s eyes.’
How much tension and reliance do you place on others in your environment and beyond? It’s certainly important to know what others think of you and your abilities. However, never let this take the leading role in what you do and who you are.
19. “You only need to surpass yourself, not others. This way, you will use yourself as inspiration and always strive to challenge yourself.”
20. “I found that ultimately, if you truly pour your heart into what you believe in—even if it makes you vulnerable—amazing things can and will happen.” – Emma Watson
21. “High expectations are the key to everything.” – Sam Walton
22. “Perfection is not just about control; it’s also about letting go.” – Richard Bangs
Procrastination as a perfectionist
23. “Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder.” – Mason Cooley
You prefer to distance yourself as much as possible from things you find difficult. The things you can’t change and tweak to meet your high expectations are so frustrating that you unconsciously come up with reasons to do something else.
Making coffee, cleaning, or watching a series temporarily relieve the feeling that you don’t have to face your own shortcomings.
Procrastination can sometimes be a good thing. As a perfectionist, it’s beneficial to step away from what you’re working on to see the bigger picture. By zooming out from the details that you can’t seem to figure out, taking a break and focusing on something else can bring about new thoughts that can help you progress.
However, excessive procrastination leads to stagnation in the process and even in your relationships with others. By constantly putting things off, you convince yourself more and more that you can’t do it. The truth is, you can, but it requires some effort.
24. “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” – Jordan Belfort
25. “The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.” – Dawson Trotman
The reason you’re not moving forward or even starting is that your expectations are so high that you can never meet them. Therefore, start with small milestones and learn not to be too hard on yourself. This doesn’t happen within a few days; it’s something you can train yourself to do.
26. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Even though things may seem perfect, they will always be valued differently by others. Striving for quality is therefore better than perfection.
27. “Even if things are perfect, it’s not a guarantee of success or any certainty.”
Perfectionism is the enemy of progress>>
Being okay with making mistakes
This quote by Henry Ford indicates precisely why making mistakes is crucial for progress and development. From every mistake, no matter how big, you will always gain a new insight.
28. “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” – Henry Ford
Therefore, it is important to rise again with renewed courage every time you fall. Making the same mistake can be frustrating, but it has been necessary to help you understand something better.
29. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela
30. “Mistakes are the portals of discovery.” – James Joyce
31. “The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.” – Theodore Roosevelt
32. “It’s not how we make mistakes, but how we correct them that defines us.”
The experiences that shape and make you who you are now also include the missteps and mistakes you have made in the past.
33. “Mistakes are painful when they happen, but years later a collection of mistakes is what is called experience.” – Denis Waitley
It is good to question yourself about what you are focused on during your most important tasks. Are you concerned about the reactions of others or about bringing out the best in yourself? Once you strive for quality without aiming for perfection, validation and success will follow.
34. “It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: “What are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau
35. “Wrong motives never lead to right actions.”
Final Thoughts
Knowing that you are a perfectionist is the first step toward a freer creativity and productivity. The fear-based thought patterns take time to recognize and overcome.
When you examine the motives behind why you do things, you will also discover whether they are right or wrong. All extreme needs, such as validation from others and the constant need to win, are examples that keep you thinking in fear.
The key is to strive for excellence and quality without losing sight of the freedom to make mistakes.
