Since childhood, we are raised in a manner to perform the best in everything that we do. Virtually, from the time we are born, we are always awarded for the above-average performance ranging from grades, sports, jobs and personal relationships. This quest for perfection becomes a way of our life and we start designing our lives to be perfect in each and every possible way. The tapes like “what people will say” and “not good enough” start filling our heads gradually until we reach a point when it becomes impossible to turn off those tapes and mindsets.

Many of us know that there is no such thing as perfection but still we spend a lot of our time and energy trying to be perfect in everything for everyone. Basically, perfectionism is a belief that if we live in a perfect way, act in a perfect way, and dress in a perfect way, we can minimize the pain of judgment, hate, blame, and shame. We believe that perfectionism will protect us from the roughs and toughs of life and we will become able to control our circumstances thorough perfection.

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Why We Seek Perfection

We seek perfection because we worry about what others will think of us. While seeking perfection, we are actually looking for recognition so that no one can find fault in us. We all have the need to be loved but when we feel like we are not being loved and we are not worthy enough, this is when the journey to perfection begins.

I believe the path to perfection is the fastest path to unhappiness too. It is like a mirage. You think that you will have a way out when you reach that “certain” point so you chase, chase and chase perfection but when you arrive there, it gets vanished and you get disappointed each and every time. Perfection is nothing more than an illusion that keeps us moving in a cycle of constant unhappiness and disappointment. It really gets scary to put down the perfection shield when we are living in a society that is flooded with unattainable expectations around every imaginable topic. It becomes a great risk and fear to let go of what people think or how they feel in order to stop chasing the route to perfection.

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Why We Should Avoid Perfection
Obsession of anything is never healthy and same goes for perfection. Let’s discuss how perfection creates problems for us:

• Perfection Leads to Procrastination
  While finding the “perfect” solution to the job at hand, we start procrastinating things. The search for perfection usually ends up with an attack of anxiety that derails our best intentions. It makes us lazy and we start delaying our work with the excuses of not finding any way to perform it excellently.

• Perfection creates false perceptions
  People who try to be perfect in everything often develop a sense of superiority in them. They start feeling like that are better than others and they know how to achieve excellence in every aspect of life. In addition, they start judging other people who are less capable of them. It creates an unrealistic sense of awareness that leads to many other problems like self-centeredness.

• Perfection hinders personal growth
  Perfectionists usually develop a routine that involves repeating the tasks every day in the same manner with a lot of professionalism in them. They build a rigid routine that discourages flexibility and prevent from gaining new experiences and opportunities. People who seek perfection are not open to adopting new ways of doing same things in a different manner. When you allow yourself to accept new ideas and options, it enhances your personal growth and you evolve into a better person.

• Perfection promotes frustration
  There is no defined way to be perfect. You cannot be perfect in everything that you do. There are always people who can perform some job better than you. When you think that you know all and no one is better than you, you attract unhappiness towards you. This kind of thinking never let you feel contented and you always find yourself in the middle of insecurity and frustration.

• Perfection has negative effect on health
  Studies show that the quest for perfection leads to serious health problems. There is a strong bond between perfection and illness. While attaining perfection, we often invite stress which leads to poor sleep, less nutrition, and lack of exercise. Humans are designed to be flexible so that they can survive different trials of life. Following perfection to a certain level is always healthy but we start doing things in excess, they turn out bad for our health. We should always chase the kind of perfection that can promote the mindful existence and teaches us to celebrate both the perfects and imperfects of life.

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