I asked Twitter “What advice do you have for someone struggling with perfectionism? What have you learned from your own journey?” and 14 people responded with such lovely encouragement and wise advice for overcoming perfectionism. Check out their responses below.
“Perfectionism, to me, is the mask of fear. Fear that others won’t accept our work, that it will be judged in a way we don’t want to see. It’s the cousin of procrastination, which too resides in fear. It’s only through putting our ideas out into the world that our ideas grow perfect, over time, through experience. We ought to find joy in the vulnerability that is imperfection, it’s liberating.”
Ivan – IvanSiladji.com
“To live in the moment no matter the outcome. It’s about the journey not the destination. I have learned more from scribbles than I have straight lines. Beauty is in imperfection.”
Rhonda
“I’m a perfectionist which means I’m always working to my high standards. Emphasis on MY high standards without any pressure from others. I must be careful that my perfectionism isn’t detrimental to my mental health by causing unnecessary stress and anxiety. Something that I have learned on my journey is to make sure I only worry about what I’m doing. Not everyone is a perfectionist, so they might not care as much as you do and that’s ok! Just focus on what you are doing and the rest will be what it will be.”
Emma – Believe in Bumble
“I have struggled with perfectionism in the past and I think the best advice I have is “don’t compare your behind the scenes to someone else’s highlight reel.” Social media is a way that many people choose to share their best days. When you’re struggling with being perfect, remember that no one else’s life is what it seems on social media.”
Alexx – Aesthetics by Alexx
“I think the most important thing a perfectionist needs to realize is that our world, our universe is so much bigger than them; than any of us. Worrying about being the perfect husband or wife, employee, friend, etc. is such a minuscule and unnecessary anxiety. With everything our universe has given to us, we are here to do so much more than to simply be perfect. Instead of striving for perfection, strive to be open-minded, kind, respectful, adventurous, courageous, and most of all, strive to be happy even when life is ‘less than perfect.'”
Harley – Chapter XIX
“My advice would be: take a step back and make sure you are caring for yourself. Taking time to focus on your own wellbeing can help calm the stress that might come with perfectionism.”
Cassie – Talented Millenial
“It can be hard to find an acceptable quality of work if you are a perfectionist. Write down all the things that you think you’ve done well and have that on display to remind yourself that you can produce good quality work. Set yourself timescales to complete a task and try to get into the habit of not going back and constantly changing and updating that task. It can be hard to change.”
Jo – Tea & Cake For The Soul
“I get completely stuck in creative projects sometimes, just because I don’t know how to make them look like I want. I have an idea, or sometimes no idea at all, and everything I make falls short of it, or I find it impossible to like, even if someone else would. I have to push through that and let myself make things I don’t like, because usually that’s the only way to get to what I’m going for. So my advice would be to make trash, even if it makes you cringe. You can find just what you need by playing around with a bad idea.”
Luana – Book Storm
“Having dealt with striving for perfection all my life, I’ve come to find out (obviously) it is unattainable, but more importantly, it’s most often not expected of you from the people around you. We are all human, we all make mistakes, and to hold yourself to a higher standard is a good thing but perfection is unattainable, unexpected, and an incredibly draining journey. Do your best, take a breath, roll with the punches, and remember your best is more than enough even if it’s not perfect.”
Sara Anderson
“I think there are 2 different types of perfect that people strive for. 1. Society’s version. 2. Our own. Always focus on the latter. Don’t try to become someone else’s vision of perfection. And remember it’s okay to not be perfect!”
Georgia – What’s In My Wonderland
“I had to learn to finish something before I could get rid of my perfectionist mindset.”
Tessa – Narratess
“Nothing in life is perfect. If you spend all your time chasing perfection you are going to miss out on all the wonderful things that are right in front of you. You won’t realize the wonderful things about yourself either. Take a deep breath and learn to accept mistakes for what they are: a chance to grow.”
Rachel – The Darling Dog Mom
“Using the word “excellence” in place of “perfection.” Striving for excellence is obtainable, reaching perfection isn’t. Knowing Serenity Prayer’s 3 actions: Serenity, Courage & Wisdom. (S)What can’t I change? (C)What can I change? (W) Knowing the difference.”
Pamela Jensen Stonebraker
“Perfectionism isn’t real. As humans, we are bound to make mistakes. The sooner we understand this, the less pressure we put on ourselves to be ‘perfect’. I’m not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I don’t need to be perfect to be loved.”
Samara – Gift Goonie
Thank you so much again to everyone who shared their advice for overcoming perfectionism!
Comment Below:
What advice or encouragement would you add?
Wonderful advice from the good folks of twitter. Can always trust them!
Thank you for sharing.
I know, right!? I’m so thankful that they wanted to share their wisdom from their own journeys. I definitely benefited from and was encouraged by their words! 😊💜
Love the variety of perspectives on perfectionism in this post. It is something many struggle with, and it is so helpful to get others perspectives on the topic.
Me too! I really loved hearing everyone’s perspective and advice from their own journeys (including yours!💜)
Thanks for including my quote
Thank you for sharing your wisdom! 💜
Everyone has these elaborate opinions and then there’s mine 😂
Love what other people are saying!
But it was perfect! It was a great thought! And it worked out well to have both shorter and longer responses to spread them out better. 🙂
This post turned out so well. What an amazing bunch of creative individuals, each showing their vulnerability as super powers. Nice piece Anna.
I agree! I loved hearing all these different perspectives from everyone’s own stories. 😊 Thank you for contributing to it!
Oh I felt this in my soul! And everyone expressed what perfectionist are in their own ways, I loved reading other people’s input about it! I myself have learned over the years that every so days I need a day or two off, bc I will end up going crazy and having a meltdown! Taking care of your mental health wellbeing is definitely at the top of my list!
That’s great that you’ve learned that about yourself so you know what helps! 🙂 Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
I think related but slightly off – turn the phrase “practice makes perfect” into “practice makes better”. Once we learn that we will never be perfect because there is always room for improvement but that we can become better then it takes a lot of pressure off the idea of being perfect.
Yesss! I love this! “Practice makes better” not perfect. Thank you so much for sharing this! 🙂💜
WOW! Wonderful advice! I tend to be a perfectionist and it is tiring and stressful. Lots of great tips here!!
What a great idea to crowdsource a post on overcoming perfectionism! This will help so many people, especially those who are coming out of high-control / toxic faith systems. I’ll be sharing this on my Facebook pages, Twitter and Pinterest!