Perfectionism. It’s the enemy of creativity, productivity, and, well, sanity. In “The Artist’s Way,” author Julia Cameron writes: “Perfectionism is a refusal to let yourself move ahead. It is a loop–an obsessive, debilitating closed system that causes you to get stuck in …
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I absolutely love this entry; no lie. Are we the same person?! Aren’t you writing about ME here? Honestly; wow.
I am a huge procrastinator. That’s pretty much how I survived through college & grad school: it functions as an unhealthy coping strategy for students. You write that entire 10 page research paper the day before it’s due…and when you get a low grade on that paper, you can rationalize the poor quality of your work to the fact that you were pressed for time. You squeezed your way through what would have otherwise been a completely paralyzing assignment. Using fundamental attribution error to your own benefit works like a charm in cases like this, but I agree that it’s not good for the long run.
And, #7 has already inspired me to expand on that thought & post a blog entry of my own. I’ll get started on it as soon as I write up some post-its on the subject & slowly (SLOWLY!) gather them together in Word.
My 18-year-old daughter is recovering from an Eating Disorder and drug addiction. I recently wrote a blog entitled, “The Perfectionist’s Slip” about an episode we had just a few days after she arrived back home. She too is an artist, of sorts, she finishes very few pieces. Your suggestions are enlightening. She and I can discuss your suggestions. I look forward to it. It’s nice to know others have an understanding. Thank you for writing this. Dan
nice post, perfectionism ruins self confidence because the person expects everybody to love him but when he finds just one enemy he feels really bad!!
None of this, of course, rules out the possibility of innate talent. What it does do, though, is paint a rich, descriptive picture of musicianship being largely in the realm of development. After a thorough review of the research, Lehmann & Gruber state: “Taken together, it is difficult to obtain clear evidence on the role of innate abilities, despite the fact that giftedness features prominently in everyday discourse. On the other hand, well documented genius; Tony Granims found much evidence exists that practice and other environmental factors have a large impact on changes in many variables related to mental performance.
Dear God, that all rings so true. Unfortunately, the ‘dividing a job into small steps’ already sets off the anxiety with me, as I fear I might be unable to divide it ‘properly’ or forget something in the details… but I guess, this, too, is a matter of practise. Thank you for the post, it is tremendously helpful.
And kudos to you for writing your words – everything else isn’t worthwhile, is it?
Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you a million times. I’m a perfectionistic college student and so sick of this voice in my head keeping me from doing anything with my life. It’s wonderful to read this, and not only know I’m not alone but that there are proactive measures I can take. I’ve been looking for something like this forever, and it came at a great time since this is one of those “insecure” periods you mentioned. Thank you.
Wow! I have suffered insecurited my whole life, and never knew the root of my issues. Finally, I get it. I am a perfectionist. If I am criticized, it completely devastates me because I believe I am a failure. I believe everyone should connect with me or like me, and if they don’t there is something wrong with me. If I think I will not do well on a task, I will not do it. My 5 year old son is also a perfectionist. I’m glad I can recognize it, and help my son not to suffer with insecurities like I have. Thank you so much for sharing the steps to conquer perfectionism.
Thank you for this post. I’m a recovering (?) perfectionist, and it’s so very easy to get wrapped up in those black-and-white ideas.