Lifestyle

Letting go of perfection

By Anita Hammond | November 3, 2016

For as long as I can remember, I struggled with the notion of ‘needing’ to be perfect. I unconsciously chose areas that were important to me and wouldn’t settle for anything less. The only problem, I never did settle as I never achieved perfection.

Why? Because there is no such thing. It didn’t matter if I achieved good grades, did well at sports or took on leadership roles at work, it was never enough when you are striving for something that doesn’t exist.

Whilst I am proud of my achievements, I am now very aware of the unnecessary pressure and angst I created for myself. When you let go of the unhealthy expectations you have on yourself, you realise that you can in fact do it all; at your own pace, being mindful and for the right reasons.

Here are some of the things that I have learnt along the way:

You can’t win aiming for perfection

Aiming for perfection is setting yourself up for failure. It is an unrelenting, unhealthy battle that you cannot win.

You are the only person placing unrealistic expectations on yourself

Trying to be perfect doesn’t make you happy, accepting your best effort makes you happy. By becoming aware of the damaging effects perfectionism can have on you, can encourage a healthier, more positive outlook; you will make a more conscious effort to rid bad habits that are not serving you and adopt more affirming thoughts and behaviors. This makes you responsible for your own happiness.

Delete the word and let it go

Delete the word perfectionism and use ‘high achiever’ instead. It doesn’t come with the same negative connotations and extremely unrealistic expectation. It acknowledges that you like to aim high and takes away the unhealthy pressure that can negatively impact your life.