Jane put down her paintbrush and looked at her painting. After three weeks of constant painting and retouching, it was finally finished.
She placed the painting on the display easel to admire it and see it in a new light. But as she surveyed the painting, all her eyes could see were mistakes.
Jane sighed. She knew that, once again, she had finished a painting that was not good enough to sell. It was full of mistakes—mistakes that were only discernible to her.
Even though Jane’s husband and son had told her that her artwork looked great, Jane refused to listen. She hesitated about selling work that was “not right”.
Jane had fallen into the trap of “it’s not perfect”, and along the way, she had accumulated a collection of completed artwork that she was not confident in exhibiting or selling.
Seeking perfection and the desire to be perfect burdens many people. Perfection is a moving target, something you cannot attain. The more you strive for it, the more obsessed you become with the minuscule details of what is not right and what is not working.
Perfectionists tend to create lofty goals and set unreasonable expectations. They put persistent pressure on themselves to achieve these goals, but this pressure comes from a place of fear, critical thinking, and performance anxiety. This can lead to a belief that their work is not good enough and a desire to seek validation, approval, and love.
So this week’s challenge is to discover if you are stuck in the perfectionist trap. In what way is perfectionism holding you back in any aspect of your life, whether it be work, career, relationships, or even trying something new?
Become aware of what you fail to launch. It could be your artwork, writing your novel, starting that business idea, or even asking someone out on a date.
Recognise that seeking perfection is a lens that you are looking through—a lens that you can change. You can challenge your perfectionist thinking and find a new way to see yourself and your work, a way that moves you forward and focuses on progress.
By taking action, you can start to break the loop of perfectionism, so do what you have been putting off. Just show up, take the action, and do your best.
Do not let this belief stand in your way of creating the life you want and desire.
Forever creating
Deborah Ruth
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