You may feel inclined to fit yourself into the perfectionist personality type, especially if many people keep telling you you’re one. Maybe you usually pay attention to small details or are a very organized person. But there is more than meets the eye.
For a lack of a better classification, people who aim high, control their work environment, are disciplined, and deliver above expectations are usually perceived as perfectionists. However, this approach misses the negative traits of perfectionist behavior such as:
- Good is never good enough. Only flawlessness is acceptable;
- There’s an obsession over minuscule imperfections in work results;
- Confidence is undermined by being too critical of oneself;
- Fear of not delivering perfect output results in analysis paralysis.
Unfortunately, this sort of self-inflicted pressure and exceedingly high expectations of oneself may lead to debilitating health implications, such as states of anxiety and depression.
One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist…..Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.
― Stephen Hawking
On the other hand, if you generally have a positive mental attitude, believe in yourself, and understand that good this week is better than never perfect, then you most likely have a high achiever personality instead.
High achievers persistently search for ways to improve their lives continuously, from small habits to the environment that surrounds them. They find joy in the process of learning new things and applying them.
There’s one thing high achievers don’t do. They don’t sweat the little details. They feel their time is too valuable to waste on tasks that are not worth it, or even, not worth being done repeatedly.