Guest Blogger Alex Judd shares:
There’s a lot of content out there discouraging perfectionism.
Much of it revolves around the fact that perfectionism is unproductive, unrealistic, and inefficient.
This is all true. But, in my experience, it’s not deep enough.
At its core, perfectionism is way more sinister. It’s not just unproductive, unrealistic, and inefficient. It’s TOXIC, DANGEROUS, and PRIDEFUL.
Whew. That feels heavy to write. That’s probably because it's true.
Perfectionism is toxic because it’s founded on a delusion: “anything less than perfect is not good enough.” In my experience, that lie quickly turns into something worse: “Anyone less than perfect is not enough.” That’s called shame. Like I said… Toxic.
Perfectionism is dangerous because it represents a standard. And, we use our standard to justify our actions. So, when we subconsciously or consciously chase the standard of perfect, we justify not sleeping enough, working too many hours, overcommitting to people, or eating nothing but Kale for 30 days. That’s not healthy…. that’s dangerous.
Perfectionism is prideful. Maybe it’s not this way for everyone… but for me, a battle with perfectionism is actually a battle with my ego. It's rooted in a belief that I can and should be perfect. Well, that’s a problem because that belief completely contradicts my faith. My faith says that I need grace. Not want… NEED. My faith also says that I have access to grace. Therefore, any time I pursue perfect, I deny this need and the fact that it’s already been met by something bigger than me. Prideful.
And so, to avoid perfectionism simply as a means of being more efficient misses the mark. Let’s avoid perfectionism as a means of taking care of our soul and being grounded in truth. And then, let's lead others to do the same.
About the Author:
Alex Judd is the CEO + Founder of Path for Growth, which exists to help leaders, teams, and individuals define vision, take action, and get results.
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