Is Perfectionism keeping you from a life of continuous learning and human (imperfect) experience?
Do you tell yourself, “I’ll join a gym once I lose a bit of weight”. “The weather is too cold, too hot, too unpredictable…” “I’ll take one course once I really work on my writing skills or once there is less to do at home/work/on the planet”. Or maybe you sign up for Yoga and spend your time picking yourself apart for a wandering mind or a lack of flexibility. As the Buddha said, “Every where you go, there you are”!
YES, perfectionism can sometimes drive us to new heights of quality. And excellence IS important. But perfectionism can also leave us paralyzed with inaction, depleted or depressed – showing up as harsh judges of ourselves and/or the world.ĚýAs successful comedians and motivational speakers have long discovered, it’s our human foibles that make us most loveable and endearing. It’s our courageous yet humble stories of “lessons learned” that elicit compassion, empathy and connection – not our efforts at coating it all in the big “P” all the while feeling like an imposter. Whether your perfectionism echoes the voice of a parent or teacher, or you’ve fallen for a socially-prescribed version of what perfect might look like (e.g. Monica on Friends?), you may welcome the freedom of letting go, owning who you really are… while enjoying the journey. The My Wellness-Centered Learning Community encourage us to nurture wellness, connection and continuous learning in our workplace and has prepared a list of resources to learn more about perfectionism:
Resources:
Dr. Brené Brown author of best seller, “”
Dr. BrenĂ© Brown “The Power of Vulnerability” (Ted Talk) Ěý(20:49)
Dr. Gordon Flett, Faculty of Health, York University world renowned research on Perfectionism:
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