6 good reasons to give up perfectionism

Perfectionist	Optimalist
The path is like a straight line	The path is like a spiral
Fear of failure	Failure as feedback
Focus on purpose	Focus on the path and purpose
All-or-Nothing Thinking	Comprehensive, Complicated Thinking
Is on the defensive	Open to advice
Bug finder	Benefit seeker
Strict	Indulgent
Conservative, static	Easy to adapt, active

1. Choosing a path

A straight line is the perfect path to a goal for the perfectionist. Every turn to the side (failure) is a failure for him. For the optimalist, failure is an inevitable part of the journey. His path to the goal always contains several turns.

2. Learning from mistakes

The main trait of perfectionists is the fear of failure, they try to avoid falls and mistakes. But mistakes help people test themselves for strength. When we take risks, fall and rise again, we become stronger. On the basis of experience, we develop, and in this we are more helped by defeats than successes.

Failure does not promise success, but lack of failure always means lack of success.

Those who understand that failure is always associated with success learn from their mistakes, develop, and ultimately succeed.

3. Low self-esteem

The perfectionist creates conditions for himself in which it is impossible to live with normal self-esteem: he constantly criticizes himself, pays attention only to his own shortcomings and does not appreciate what he has already achieved. In addition, the tendency to idealize and maximalist mindset forces perfectionists to inflate the obstacles encountered to the size of a catastrophe. In such conditions, low self-esteem is guaranteed.

Paradoxically, psychologists have found that a person's self-esteem grows when he is faced with failure, because he realizes that failure is not as terrible as it seemed. Perfectionists avoid trials for fear of failure, which is like giving yourself the impression that you are unable to cope with difficulties.

4. Maximum performance

Psychologists John Dodson and Robert Yerkes have shown that a person can achieve maximum results when they are in a state between apathy and anxiety. This degree of excitement at work is precisely what the Optimalists experience because they accept failure as a natural part of life on the one hand and struggle for success on the other.

5. Enjoyment of the journey

The perfectionist strives for the perfect result. At first, his intentions are strong and he works tirelessly, but in the end he quickly comes to overwork, which can become unbearable if the process itself does not bring pleasure.

The path of the optimalist is more enjoyable: he enjoys his path and remains focused on the goal. His road to success is not a straight line, but he does not strive for this - he fights, doubts, loses and sometimes suffers, but in the end he succeeds.

6. Effective use of time

The work must be done perfectly, or it shouldn't be done at all - the maximalism of perfectionists leads them to an ineffective use of time. Perfect execution (if at all achievable) requires enormous effort, which is not always justified in relation to some tasks.

Since time is our most precious resource, perfectionism comes at a cost.

Perfectionists spend thousands of hours on tasks that don't really require perfection.

Optimalists approach this wiser: where a task is really important, they spend as much time on it as perfectionists. But more often it is enough to do the task well, rather than ideally.

Going from a perfectionist to an optimalist is a lifelong project. This is a journey that takes a lot of patience, time and effort. Those who do it will be able to change their lives for the better.

Based on materials from the book "".