The Perfection Trap - Why Perfectionism is a Bad Thing
If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably experienced the perfection trap at least once in your life.
It’s hard not to, after all. We live in the social media age - we’re constantly bombarded by imagery of people who’re living the dream life; fast cars, luxurious mansions, and beautiful women.
How could we not worry about all our little inadequacies - all the ways we’re not perfect.
In fact, my own experience with this is what prompted me to write this article. Even these first few lines have taken a shocking amount of re-writes before the words have resembled something I’m happy with.
This need for perfection can be a tricky thing to manage. After all, as with most things, it comes with both good and bad.
Sometimes perfectionism can push you forward and keep you working to a high standard. In this sense, it’s the driving force behind your proudest accomplishments. It prevents you from becoming complacent or accepting mediocrity. In fact, many of the most successful people in the world describe feeling exactly that - a constant need to pursue something better. With that in mind, it’s no wonder they’ve managed to rise to the top.
But perfectionism can also be damaging.
When you’re overly concerned with the quality of what you’re doing or producing, it can paralyse you.
You might experience a drop in self-confidence because nothing you do is ever ‘good enough’. Or you might delay finishing a project because you’re fiddling with insignificant details, desperately trying to get them right.
In this sense, perfectionism becomes a trap - the perfection trap - that leaves you stuck in limbo, always waiting for the stars to align before taking your next step.
Perfectionism: Friend or Foe?
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the cons of perfectionism seem to outweigh the pros.
I’d argue there’s a direct connection between that and the observation that so many self-labelled perfectionists also seem to struggle with unhappiness or dissatisfaction.
A constant need for perfection is a heavy burden to bear.
But that only makes these questions more compelling: Is perfectionism a bad thing? Or is it a burden worth bearing for the powerful benefits it brings.
Is perfectionism a tool that aspiring badasses can use to their benefit, or is it more trouble than it’s worth?
Well, for most of us, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.
The ideal is to be able to steer into your perfectionism enough that it drives you forward while maintaining enough control that you don’t fall into the perfection trap and become overwhelmed by the negatives.
The keys here are self-awareness and detachment.
You need to pursue perfection while simultaneously understanding and being okay with your actual capabilities. This is an area where having a growth mindset is vital. It’ll allow you to detach from your current outcomes and focus on the long-term process - improvement and your target destination. This is especially important in the early stages of learning something new.
To summarise the idea in a single paragraph:
“You need to care enough about your efforts that you’re willing to try, progress, and take chances. But don’t allow yourself to care so much that you become paralyzed; unable to act for fear of a negative outcome.”
Finding the happy medium here will set you free. You’ll be able to pursue your potential without fear of failure or negative outcomes.
And that’s badass.