The devil on my shoulder… getting rid of perfectionism.
That was a very nice presentation, well done! Great performance, congratulations! Did you ever get to hear the above and thought “thanks a lot but I wasn’t happy with the result!”?
For years I struggled with compliments after a presentation or delivering a good (team) performance. Whatever I did, however good enough the performance… to me it was just not good enough, it should have been better! Instead of focusing on what was good, the enthusiasm of the participants and the recognition for my results, my focus was on the (often few) things that might have been better.
I got to realize I was “suffering” from perfectionism.
Suffering?! Indeed, being the victim of your own perfectionism can be quite destructive, both physical and emotional. Both for yourself as for the people you work with.
The positive side of perfectionism.
But enough negativity… let’s look at the positive side of perfectionism.
For me, everything started with learning to accept compliments, by thanking the messenger rather than explaining what I didn’t like myself. If someone said to me “that was really good!” I would say “Thank you!” and make sure to savour the feeling.
These days, while making presentations or working with people towards achieving the desired results, I can’t help but noticing that perfectionism is still present like a little devil on my shoulder. The difference today is that I acknowledge its existence, accept its attempts to destabilize me but just tell him over and over again: “GOOD IS GOOD ENOUGH!” And as sudden as he appeared, his power melts like snow in the sun. Leaving me with more focus, more efficiency and most of all, a true peace of mind.
So next time your devil shows up… realize and tell him that when it’s good… it’s really good enough. He might not go away for good but believe me, sooner or later he will get the message and accept his defeat
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