Perfection doesn’t exist. It has taken me a long time to put myself out there. A long time to work on my social media and it has taken a long time for me to get my work done. Ironically, I talk about time management and work ethics. This may be one of the first blogs that you will ever read of the many hundreds that I am supposed to be writing.
I wanted everything just right. I wanted to lose weight. I wanted my hair to be just perfect. I wanted the right clothes. Everything should be just right for me to make a video and then a blog on it. When you’re looking for perfection, you will never get your work done in time. That is the lesson I learned.
In using perfection as an excuse, I stopped making progress.
- I wasn’t shooting any videos.
- I wasn’t getting ready where I was supposed to get my work done
- I wasn’t working hard to lose weight when I wanted to look perfect in the videos.
I started using that as an excuse. I will do it in a month. I will do it in a few weeks. I will get it all set and then we will get the ground hitting.
1. Is perfection, a natural instinct in humans?
“The drive to be perfect in body, mind, and career has risen over the past few decades.”
– Psychological Bulletin, December 2017
A study published in December 2017 in the Psychological Bulletin, found that “the drive to be perfect in body, mind and career” has risen over the past few decades.” Hence, it can be established that it is natural. The rise can certainly be attributed to a highly Social (Media) driven society. We are only seeing the brighter side of people’s lives and are projecting a perfect image on any such platform. We don’t see their hardships and thus fall into the vicious circle of wanting everything to be perfect and then procrastinating due to its impossibility.
2. Perfectionism arises from the age-old question that has been passed on to us: What will people say?
“If you want to do it right, do it now, and then things will automatically happen.”
– Tina Shah
The fact is that, by giving so much importance to others that we make crucial decisions based on their opinions, we lose ownership of our lives. Adding to this, the pressure to deal with someone else’s expectations each time harms our mental health. A study found that more than 70 percent of young people who died by suicide were in the habit of creating “exceedingly high” expectations of themselves.
So, I am here to tell you that do not look for perfection. Perfection is not just an illusion; it is an excuse.
Write down what is holding you back. What are the 3 things that you use as an excuse and sound valid to you? The 3 things that are keeping you from making progress. Eliminate them and change your life.
