#perfectionism

In the past, my brain could only compute perfection or failure—nothing in between. So words like competent, acceptable, satisfactory, and good enough fell into the failure category. Even above average meant failure if I received an 88 out of 100 percent on an exam, I felt that I failed. The fact is most things in life are not absolutes and have components of both good and bad. I used to think in absolute terms a lot: all, every, or never. I would all of the food (that is, binge), and then I would restrict every meal and to never eat again. This type of thinking extended outside of the food arena as well: I had to get all of the answers right on a test; I had to be in every extracurricular activity […] The ‘if it’s not perfect, I quit’ approach to life is a treacherous way to live. […] I hadn’t established a baseline of competence: What gets the job done? What is good enough? Finding good enough takes trial and error. For those of us who are perfectionists, the error part of trial and error can stop us dead in our tracks. We would rather keep chasing perfection than risk possibly making a mistake. I was able to change my behavior only when the pain of perfectionism became greater than the pain of making an error. […] Today good enough means that I’m okay just the way I am. I play my position in the world. I catch the ball when it is thrown my way. I don’t always have to make the crowd go wild or get a standing ovation. It’s good enough to just catch the ball or even to do my best to catch it. Good enough means that I finally enjoy playing the game. ↗

— Jenni Schaefer

#food #good-enough #perfectionism #recovery #stress

Only themselves understand themselves and the like of themselves, As souls only understand souls. ↗

— Walt Whitman

#perfectionism #self #self-awareness #souls #life

Perfectionism becomes a badge of honor with you playing the part of the suffering hero. ↗

— David D. Burns

#becomes #hero #honor #part #perfectionism

But I always feel that whatever I do, I could do better. I suppose it is perfectionism. ↗

— Rowan Atkinson

#better #could #feel #i #i always

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor. ↗

— Anne Lamott

#perfectionism #voice

Too many people spend too much time trying to perfect something before they actually do it. Instead of waiting for perfection, run with what you go, and fix it along the way… ↗

— Paul Arden

#perfectionism #public-speaking #true-to-life #inspirational

Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it's often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis. ↗

— Brené Brown

#anxiety #depression #healthy-striving #life #life-paralysis