The Truth About Perfectionism And Productivity
how to improve your perfectionist personality so that you accomplish your goals and strive
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FULL TRANSCRIPT
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Hi, I’m Pascale Gibon. Welcome to episode 268 of The Everyday Life Balance Show. Thank you for tuning in.
I used to be a true perfectionist. I say: “used to” because I have improved so much over the years.
According to the Oxford dictionary: perfectionism is the uncompromising pursuit of excellence. In this definition of perfectionism, uncompromising is the keyword.
According to a comprehensive study on perfectionism involving young adults in the UK, US and Canada, perfectionism has significantly risen, that is up to 32% over the past thirty years.
It is not all bad. I remember reading an article about a manager in a prestigious hotel. He was a perfectionist. Everything in the hotel had to be pristine, as you can imagine. His productivity process was to correct on the spot anything that needed to be put right in the hotel.
However, perfectionism can be a battle for perfectionist personalities. In the video entitled: "Break Free From Shame and Perfectionism,” The #1 New-York Time bestseller and research professor at the University of Houston, Brene Brown, claims that perfectionism is like a 20-ton shield that stops you from being seen and it is so addictive. It is also a function of shame.
According to Brene Brown, perfectionism is a protective mechanism.
Some studies have also shown that high perfectionism affects your performance and wellness.
What I want to help you acknowledge in this episode is how perfectionism can slow you down and keep you stuck.
Perfectionism comes at a cost when it keeps you stuck in analysis paralysis and stops you from accomplishing your goals. In other words, it can be a delaying tactic.
And perfectionism as a delaying tactic leads to procrastination. And we procrastinate due to an underlying fear.
Since the perfectionist tends to adopt a highly critical attitude, the fear of rejection, blame, shame, not being good enough, being judged, criticised, belittled or inadequate and the fear of success and failure get in the way.
For perfectionists who feel stuck, their delaying tactic is to look for imperfections in everything they do. Because they believe it is not perfect enough, creative perfectionists, for example, will not release their work.
If you are a lifelong perfectionist and you feel getting results is challenging, I want to share two ideas for your consideration:
- No one will benefit from your brilliance if you hold back your gifts and talent.
- Nothing is perfect. If you waited for everything to be perfect, you would have missed an opportunity to show your talent.
Perfectionism is also a delaying tactic when you use it as an excuse to hide your fear.
It is like a painter producing their best work but still holding on to it instead of releasing it to the world. As a result, making a living as an artist might be difficult.
Let me ask you. In what way does perfectionism slow down your progress and success?
- Do you hold yourself back and wait until things or circumstances are perfect? If so, the problem is that even after you accomplish your task, there will still be things you would like to correct. Am I right?
Therefore, you need to release and let go of the 'not-good-enough attitude'. Since perfectionists have high standards, I am sure it is good enough.
What I have learnt when I catch myself being a perfectionist is to tell myself that my content or course, for example, is good enough. The principle “good is good enough” has helped me ease any dissatisfaction with myself or my work in a big way.
In her video on shame and perfectionism, Brene Brown also reveals that according to data from social psychologists, neurologists and neurobiology people, the opposite of perfectionism is healthy striving or striving for excellence.
As you know, striving for excellence means striving for completion. I believe that perfectionists struggle with completing what they start. They are good starters but find it challenging to reach completion. It is time to strive for excellence.
I released a video on using perfectionism to serve you positively and not hold you back. You can also listen to the equivalent episode, episode 148.
The idea behind the “How To Let Perfectionism Serve You” video was to help creatives and messengers, in particular, pursue their purposeful goals with courage and confidence.
I shared four ideas in the video:
- You know enough to accomplish your purposeful goal.
- Invite more ease into whatever you do to be in flow.
- Keep the main thing the main thing and commit to excellence.
- Grow in self-awareness and acknowledge when you are a perfectionist to generate more self-compassion.
Do not let perfectionism hold you back because you can always correct later.
Jim Rohn said that success is outside your comfort zone. Therefore failing, learning from your mistakes, and the ability to progress occur when you take risks and act.
If you are afraid of failure, you need to know that it is your best ally because it gets you to think and adjust what needs adjustment to get your desired results in complete alignment.
I hope you enjoyed this episode. As always, remember now is your time to transform your life one step at a time.
I want you to identify where perfectionism is holding you back should you have a goal you wish to accomplish. What could you do to change it so that it serves you as a good lesson and you take the right action because of your awareness? The main thing is to start.
It is time to fly and stop holding yourself back, my beautiful listeners.
If you have a perfectionist tendency, I highly recommend this additional resource. You can listen to my episode series on "Building Self-love For Perfectionists. They are episodes 237 to 243.
There is in this series an interview with Wendy Firmin Price, the Amazon bestselling author of: "I'mperfect As I Am: Break Free From the Prison of Perfectionism To a Whole New Level of Self-Love, Self-Acceptance and Self-Confidence."
I look forward to connecting with you next Monday. Take good care and lots of love.
Got a question for Pascale? Click here to connect.
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ABOUT PASCALE
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Pascale Gibon is the #1 Bestselling author of YES! TO Love – The Ultimate Guide to Personal Transformation for Everyday Life Balance and The Essential Guide To Success Checklist - The 30 Day Challenge to Build Your Path to Success and Fulfil Your Life's Purpose.
Pascale is also the founder of YES! TO Love Academy (her live events) and YES! TO Training (or Y.T.T. YES! to True Transformation) your portal for personal transformation which helps you stand back up so that you can regain your zest for life, make your life work for you and quantum leap every aspect of your life from the inside out. The results are more joy, real happiness and success as you increase your self-expression, self-love and self-confidence, and you feel empowered.
Known as a 'Change Catalyst' for your growth, transformation, and success Pascale is highly intuitive. She has the particular talent of helping you walk 100% in your greatness with confidence and harness your unique divine gifts and abilities so that you can live your life to your fullest potential and be the best that you can be with the energy of love.
As a visionary and creative, her life's purpose is to inspire and empower you and guide you to happiness through love and joy in the context of understanding and compassion.
Meet Pascale at pascalegibon.com.
Got a question for Pascale? Click here to connect.
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The Everyday Life Balance Show is a weekly self-help show for individuals who want to create more balance and harmony in their life on a mental, physical and spiritual level. Every Monday, you get access to insights, practical tools and strategies from experts in their field of wellness, personal development, life fulfilment, happiness and success and from your host Pascale Gibon. "Now is your time to transform your life one step at a time!"
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