Ending perfection paralysis

Many people struggle with the urge to be perfect in some way. It could be related to a sport, career, or even an area like parenting in which performance is not measured traditionally. The urge for perfection is as common as the inability to attain it. Success magazine says that people caught in this limbo suffer from perfection paralysis.

A real-world example
To understand exactly what this means, think about a violinist practicing for an important audition. They want to nail this audition by playing perfectly. To play perfectly, they will need to hit every single note correctly. While practicing, missed notes start to cause anxiety because they worry that they will also be missed in the audition. After a while, they may not want to practice anymore because they fear missing a note again. The violinist’s failure to accept small mistakes will cause their performance to suffer even more.

The good-enough principle
Combating perfection paralysis comes down to accepting that perfection is unattainable, and in most areas of life, good enough is good enough. Progressing toward goals is the sign of real success, and this mindset will allow a person to be satisfied as long as they are working hard and moving forward.

Allowing good enough to replace perfection also means giving oneself permission to fail. Having that permission means that goals can fly higher and risks can be taken without fearing it might not work out. Taking risks can allow one’s inner genius to break out and make magic happen when it otherwise wouldn’t.