Are you a perfectionist?
If so, you’ll relate to this moment I had a few weeks ago.
I was feeling gooood. I’d just shot a batch of 4 YouTube videos and was getting ready to push in my chair and moonwalk out of my office for an evening of rest and relaxation. All I had left to do was transfer my footage to Google Drive for my editor and then give myself a massive pat on the back for a hugely productive day.
That’s when I saw it.
A great big smear of mascara. All over one of my eyelids. On all. Four. Videos.
You might not think it’s that bad. But if you’re a perfectionist too, you fully understand that when I watched these 4 videos, this mascara mercilessly taunted me from start to finish. It’s literally all I could see.
My inner perfectionist commanded me to reshoot the videos. A mascara-laden eyelid in 1 video was forgivable, but 4 in a row? People would think I applied my makeup with a paint roller, blindfolded and wearing boxing gloves.
Thankfully, I’ve learned how to let my inner perfectionist run wild when it’s appropriate and stick a sock down its throat when it’s not. I had a good laugh, said screw it, and saved myself 3 hours of re-shooting.
If you’re a perfectionist you likely view this trait as something negative that you need to overcome.
After all, left unchecked perfectionism can block your creativity, hinder your performance, and cause fear of failure, self-criticism, procrastination, anxiety, irritability, or working yourself to death to get something just right.
But new research suggests that not all perfectionism is created equal.
In fact, the right kind of perfectionism can be a superpower, turning you into a top performer.
So, which kind of perfectionism do you have? And what can you do to change the harmful kind to the helpful kind?
Join me below in my new video How to Get Things Done As a Perfectionist, to learn the 2 types of perfectionism, figure out which one you are, and then learn how to get things done without letting it get in the way.
As you wrap up watching this video, take a moment to reflect on the intricacies of your own perfectionist tendencies. Keep in mind that the aim isn’t to entirely eliminate perfectionism from your toolkit. Instead, let’s focus on redirecting it as a powerful force propelling you towards success. Think about finding that sweet spot where your high standards push for excellence without turning into pesky roadblocks.
Talk soon,
Rachel
