Perfectionism is the enemy of progress.
But, there is a difference between striving for excellence and perfectionism. Although this line is very thin, it is an art to recognize perfectionism as the enemy of progress.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, artist, or have another passion, things always have to be perfect in your eyes. If you want to make progress in your work, relationships, or fitness, this can unconsciously hinder you. Especially because your vision is so influenced that you can no longer meet your high expectations.
It wouldn’t be called progress if the goal was to continually improve. Perfectionism, on the other hand, tells you that you shouldn’t make these mistakes and that everything should always go according to plan.
What are your expectations?
The biggest reason why perfectionism causes progress to stagnate is because your high expectations are not met. This leads to repeated disappointment in yourself and the threshold to continue becomes higher and higher.
Having high expectations of yourself is not a bad trait at all. It is actually good to always strive for the best and surpass it. However, as your satisfaction with your end results decreases and you feel discouraged because it’s “not good enough,” perfectionism comes into play.
You lose your enthusiasm, drive, and the confidence that you are “good enough.”
Plan/idea > high expectations > writer’s block > loss of confidence > process stagnates
Below, you will read why true progress is halted by perfectionism and how you can change it.
Why you strive for ultimate precision
Everyone has expectations of themselves in their relationships, work, health, and hobbies. These expectations can be very high because you simply want to do things well. So, it’s not a wrong mindset at all and can help you bring out the best in yourself.
However, perfectionism means that something must be free from any flaw or deficiency whatsoever. Striving for this will actually prevent you from entering a state of relaxation.
Rest and relaxation are precisely what you need to be productive and creative.
It may also be the case that you try to overshadow your own shortcomings with a perfect body or perfect motivation for work or passions. This involves a sense of “having to” and the fear that others might find it inadequate.
The fear that others will see your shortcomings leads you to try to overshadow them by presenting a perfect image, such as a perfect body or always striving for success.
In essence, all perfectionism is grounded in the fear that others may not like you for who you are, and therefore, you have to labor for it.
In a state of progress, you are more focused on the negative aspects than the positive. This causes you to think more about difficulties rather than possibilities.
The perfect progress
To sustain progress and keep it enjoyable, it is crucial to recognize perfectionism. Then the question arises: What is it that drives you to strive for perfection?
Is it the approval of others? Your parents telling you that you were never good enough? Or do you feel worthless if you’re not the best?
These can all be reasons for constantly feeling unsatisfied. Knowing these about yourself makes it easier to achieve successful progress.
While the pursuit of excellence is admirable, an excessive focus on perfection can lead to procrastination and a fear of taking risks or making mistakes.
The criteria that something must meet begin very early and guide the entire process. The higher these criteria are in the beginning, the more significant they will become in the future.
In a process where you strive for a final result, we often obsess over the conditions of when it is considered good and complete within a specific timeframe. If this is not the case, we either condemn ourselves or push ourselves excessively hard until we become overwhelmed.
Think about:
- comparing yourself to others who have years more experience
- placing great importance on what people think of our work
- wanting to go too fast without experiencing growing pains
- being afraid of being ordinary
- being solely focused on how we can satisfy others
Progress consists of 80% (a lot of) making mistakes and trying things out. The rest is what you already know.
Therefore, it is important to have a solid foundation in order to achieve perfect progress.
In a perfect progress:
- there is the freedom to make the same mistake more often
- nothing is 100% fixed and can spontaneously change
- no idea is a bad idea
- you are not always motivated
- small steps are big steps
- you have set realistic goals
6 crucial insights to silence your critical voice
Knowing these “basic rules” will ensure that you will notice progress in any case. However, there will always be a little voice in your head that will try to make you act out of fear along the way.
This critical voice in your head can manifest in several ways. These insights will help you recognize it and free yourself from high expectations that stagnate your progress.
1. replace your expectation with an intention
The problem with perfectionism lies in the expectation. An expectation is the image you have of the outcome, while an intention is still free from a specific demand.
By doing this, you give yourself the freedom for things to turn out completely different and to be content with it. This allows you to easily relax and be satisfied with what you do.
2. only winners and losers?
When we embark on something, we may tend to think in terms of winners and losers. There is no gray area for people who are still struggling despite making efforts.
The drawback is that there is no room for learning and time to grow. The urge to prove oneself as a winner leads to the need to meet certain external demands.
The thing is, there will always be people who, in your eyes, are better. Comparing yourself to others causes a significant hindrance to progress as you focus on surpassing someone else.
What can help is to see others as inspiration in addition to being your competition. Everyone has their own path and talents.
3. learn to make mistakes and keep them
For a perfectionist, the art lies in admitting and cherishing mistakes. Without the possibility of making mistakes, you won’t take a step without being certain.
This is also a major reason for experiencing creative blocks, where you believe you’re not allowed to make mistakes or produce “bad” work.
Practice embracing every wrong step or missed opportunity and look forward to new possibilities.
4. What you see, others don’t
We can get absorbed in specific details and worry about them more than the overall concept.
The point is, most people will never notice these details. As you continue moving forward, your progress will advance, and these details will flourish. Sometimes, it takes time to see things from a different perspective.
Don’t let small details that you can’t (immediately) change discourage you from moving forward.
5. celebrate achievements
To learn to be content with who you are and what you do, celebrate your achievements. They can be small but may have taken a lot of time and effort.
Treat yourself or share them with others. This will rejuvenate you and keep your progress going.
If you are only strict with yourself and don’t realize it, every step upward you take will become increasingly burdensome instead of lighter.
6. Realistic considerations
One effective strategy to combat perfectionism is setting realistic goals. When setting goals, it’s important to establish targets that are attainable and specific, allowing for incremental progress. Breaking larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps can be particularly helpful in overcoming the overwhelming nature of perfectionism.
Attainable goals are those that take into account our current abilities, resources, and circumstances. They are within our reach with effort and dedication.
By setting realistic goals, you set yourself up for success and increase your motivation to take action. Moreover, attaining these goals provides a sense of accomplishment, which helps build confidence and encourages further progress.
Why successful people struggle with perfectionism
Because the line between “trying to do well” and perfectionism is so thin, the high expectation determines which path a person walks. The more others want you to surpass your previous work or achievement, the more important it is to maintain that success.
There will always be a part of the audience that is not satisfied. It’s about the personal development of the individual, exploring new territories and incorporating them into their work.
The expectations of others are significant for many artists when releasing their next album, book, or film.
This can quickly turn into a rigid perfectionism that determines the path and creativity, prohibiting spontaneous changes in direction.
Therefore, the art for successful writers and other creatives is to focus on what they themselves want to convey. The key is that trying new things is crucial for artist growth and continuously providing something new to the audience.
Final thoughts
It is true that perfectionism is the enemy of progress. By realizing this and applying a good dose of discipline, you train yourself to become more content with your shortcomings.
Every person has them, even the most successful inventors, artists, and CEOs.
And remember,
What is, is perfect. Because that is all there is.
