The Pros & Cons of Being A Perfectionist

When I was a little girl, I was always told to strive for perfection. I was told to study hard, not depend on a man, and to work for what I want. I wasn’t given anything without doing a chore, ever. And I often set up little business as a kid (go figure), from selling greeting cards that I legit I wish I still had, to this one time I created my own 7-11 store complete with slushie machine, to making friendship bracelets with a partner across the country and mailing our money back and forth, lol.

Many people that really know me, know my childhood stories. Needless to say, I didn’t have the fairytale family I wished for, but as they say, “Sometimes you get put through the worst so you can handle the best.”

I remember often, as a young girl in my teens, working hard (on my own), studying, and making sure I was not going to end up like the model I had before me. I remember even having to steal my mother’s social security number just to apply to college (a law I firmly believe needs to be changed — what if you have no parents or one’s present?). I always went hard, and still go hard on everything in life. It’s a blessing and a curse. I believe that perfectionists are the smartest, strictest people that are hardest to fuck with. And it isn’t just because I am one. I know many perfectionists, and they get me.

This blog is dedicated to all those little girls who are now strong women working hard: the single moms, the college students, everyone. Being a perfectionist has its’ pros and cons though, which I’ll lay out below, but one thing I can say, as I wrote this blog, I’m trying to become a little looser and better at letting things go. Maybe like a quarter inch of a mile loose.

So, here are the pros and cons of being a perfectionist in my eyes.
I won’t be listing them as a pro or con simply for the reason that some one’s con may be another persons’ pro, vice versa.

YOU ARE AN OVERACHIEVER

Let’s not state the obvious. You clearly are a perfectionist for a reason, but you often let things fall by the wayside personally as you strive for success. You always achieve every goal and crush it, mainly alone, with zero cheerleaders, then move onto the next goal and crush that shit too.

YOU ARE DETAILED AS F-

You often live by your schedule and pay attention to everything. I actually have mastered the entire “I’m not paying attention” while paying so much attention that people think I’m snobby. “No, I am just analyzing your details or catching mistruths!” Being detail oriented is a part of control, and as perfectionists we need control.

YOU GO HARD

I always say, “Go, go! Keep it moving.” My staff knows this by heart (bless them), and I always go all or nothing. I’ll stay up all night to fix a project, get a deal done, or take an international conference call. There is no “NO” in a perfectionist’s vocabulary.

YOU ARE CAREER DRIVEN and NOT PERSONALLY DRIVEN

You don’t really care about human interaction, but care more about creating career goals and money moves. You often cancel plans to work on projects, ideas, etc. and really don’t get FOMO. Sometimes perfectionists need balance.

YOU OVERTHINK EVERYTHING

Don’t get me started on this. Everyone knows I’m a self-proclaimed “psychic” and I think I know it all, but most perfectionists overthink everything. I’m lucky that I don’t, as I can make the decision to hire or fire or any other business decision quickly. To me, it’s just business, and as I said, we need to keep it moving. However, for most perfectionists a common struggle is overthinking, which causes them to procrastinate and take longer to finalize things, thereby stunting growth.

What is a perfectionist personality?

According to Google: Perfectionism, in psychology, is a broad personality style characterized by a person’s concern with striving for flawlessness and perfection, and is accompanied by critical self-evaluations and concerns regarding others’ evaluations.

According to Me: YOU DO YOU, whatever works. Be perfectly, imperfect.

XOXO,
HM