My minister told me to stop being a perfectionist. I was 12 years old and astounded at his exclamation. We were in the church basement with the youth group decorating the poles holding up the ceiling and the drab gray walls with colorful crepe paper. I was in the middle of wrapping one of those poles with the stretchy paper and precisely spacing each wrap around the pole.
I looked at the pole and thought, he’s right. I was driving myself crazy trying to perfectly decorate the pole. I decided right then, I would not be a perfectionist any longer! No more perfectly papered, pole projects in my life again!
So did I follow through? I did, most of the time, until I began writing books. How many times does one edit a book? How many times does one change the first line in the novel or for that matter re-write the whole first chapter?
Perfectionism is one of the main reasons folks who want to write a story just can’t. They cannot get past the first line, re-working it over and over again. Then comes frustration, and finally the whole project is abandoned.
I am here to tell you today, “Get over it! Keep writing! Move past that first line.” Sure it may be a bunch of gibberish and disconnected thoughts, but at least there is something written that you can work with.
You can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page.—Jodi Picoult
Although I have read how self-abusive it is to always strive for perfectionism, that little niggle in my brain convincing me that one more reading of the manuscript will be fine is always there. I fight it, but breaking perfectionism whether in writing or in everyday tasks takes a strong person to defeat it.
Perhaps some of these wise quotes below will help us overcome perfectionism. Let me know in the comments if you are trying to beat this malady. Do you have advice on a cure for it?
1. “Perfectionism doesn’t make you feel perfect. It makes you feel inadequate.” — Maria Shriver
2. “Perfectionism is the belief that something is broken — you. So you dress up your brokenness with degrees, achievements, accolades, pieces of paper, none of which can fix what you think you are fixing” — Edith Eger
3. “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you insane your whole life.” — Anne Lamott
4. “Perfectionism is the art of never being satisfied.” -Unknown
5. “Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough.” — Julia Cameron
6. “Perfectionism is a dream killer, because it’s just fear disguised as trying to do your best.” — Mastin Kipp
Vix Anterton has many more quotes and thoughts about perfectionism in a Linked In post.
Do you know a perfectionist? Share this post with them, if you dare.
Happy February 29th!!
Thanks for stopping by today. Please hit the always FREE Subscription button below.
Being a perfectionist has always been one good reason for not doing anything. After all, we all know perfection is impossible. I love the post.