Last week, I caught my perfectionism tripping me up again. I identified perfectionism as a hurdle a few years ago and it took me 2 years to notice when it appeared and clung to me. Perfectionism will always be with me. No matter how hard I work on it. However, as it sneaked into my self-confidence quietly and silently, I learned to recognize it, distract myself to escape its grip, and use other emotional skills to navigate around it. Moreover, I recognize the grip of fear created by this perfectionism as soon as it occurs.
I’ve learned to work despite it, but I’m also learning how insidiously it manifests itself. Perfectionism is the biggest emotional hurdle I deal with. Some other emotional hurdles people may deal with include pleasing others, avoiding necessary work, needing to control the outcome, being an over-achiever, plus others. The central issue with these hurdles is not knowing when enough is enough.
Recognizing what trips us up is 50% of solving the problem. In my experience, perfectionism makes me question everything I know. Is the timing perfect? Do I have adequate information to take the action I want? I double guess myself when the most effective way to counteract this is to take small steps iteratively. Almost playfully. I haven’t used an experimental approach enough times in my life to feel comfortable using that method. But, once I become aware of the perfectionism and start being playful, the fear magically disappears.
After I recognized that the discomfort I felt was sourced from perfectionism, I at once created a strategy to maneuver around this invisible hurdle. I love creating task lists with simple square bullets so I can cross them off. That feeling of checking things off gives me an innate sense of accomplishment. It’s actually very thrilling! I break down the tasks into tiny steps and make it a game to check those incremental steps off one by one. Each day I progress on the multiple projects I have because it’s a game I like to play.
Being a playful person who focuses on tiny iterative steps is a new way of being for me. I am now learning to employ this perspective daily, so I have fewer fear-gripping moments.
I invite you to invest a few minutes daily to take deep breaths, find your center and ponder these points:
- How can I learn to recognize negative emotions as they occur?
- What is the source?
- What are some ways to navigate them?
Feel stuck? Let’s break through together. Book a complimentary call to explore how coaching can help you move forward: https://L2BAppointments.as.me/IntroWebsite
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