My name is Charlotte and I’m a recovering perfectionist.
I always thought of perfectionism as a positive weakness. I clearly remember it being my go-to answer when asked that awkward interview question:
‘What would you consider to be your weakness?’
I would proudly answer ‘oh I am a perfectionist.’
Who wouldn’t want a perfectionist working on their team? A perfectionist would deliver the highest standard of work, right?
But really, what does perfectionism mean and is it something to be proud of?
My dream has always been to be my own boss. I wanted to set my own rules, live life on my terms and create something I was proud of. What did I do about it?
Absolutely nothing.
I was always waiting for ‘perfect’. The perfect business. The perfect course. The perfect time of year (seriously!!). The excuses went on and on.
Why?
I was hiding. I had a fear of failure. The thought of chasing my dream and failing was so intense, I used perfectionism as a justification for not living my truth.
I sold myself a fairy tale that the perfect opportunity was around the corner. I told myself I would be silly to do anything else until that opportunity presented itself. The only result perfect got me was years of feeling frustrated and unfulfilled because let’s face it; nothing happens unless we make it happen.
When I confronted my fear of failure, I realised doing nothing was worse than failing.
Perfectionism is something we strive for that doesn’t exist. We use it as a rationalisation to hold ourselves back because we are scared of putting ourselves out there. We are scared of failing.
I started to live by ‘good enough’. This has enabled me to set up my own business, put myself out there and help other women find their own version of happiness.
I’m living my dream of having it all by being good enough, not perfect.
So the next time you find yourself holding back from sharing your message or living your dreams because ‘it’ isn’t perfect, ask yourself if it’s good enough.
Perfectionism isn’t something to be proud of. It’s an excuse.