My Twitter friend Austin Wulf wrote a blog post yesterday, What’s So Bad About Perfectionism?, and that question got me thinking. My blog readers might know I call myself not just a perfectionist, but an over-achieving perfectionist. Is that a bad thing?
*smile* I think it depends.
Is Perfectionism Bad?
As with many things, a behavior becomes an “issue” if it starts causing problems in our life. Professionals point to this difference to draw the line between a casual drinker and an alcoholic.
And while many things don’t have physically addictive qualities, we can become psychologically addicted to some thing or some behavior. So if a person’s perfectionist tendencies hold them back from ever finishing or achieving anything, then yes, I’d call that a bad thing.
Despite my fear of embarrassing myself with a poorly written blog post, I’ve managed to stick to my Tuesday/Thursday posting schedule for several months now, even through my deadline cave. I’ve submitted work for peer review and professional assessment.
I think that proves I’m a “functional perfectionist” in that I don’t let it impede my progress. So perfectionism certainly doesn’t have to be bad, but is it good?
Is Perfectionism Good?
*cough* That’s not a fair question to ask a perfectionist. Of course, I’m going to think it’s good. I can’t imagine my life any other way.
To my mind, some of the benefits of perfectionism are:
- Being detail-oriented
- Having a drive to achieve
- Being persistent
When I’m overhauling a story, I’d better have a good handle on the details of the plot, storyline, characters, and dialogue. I often have to tweak multiple details throughout a story for every change I make to a scene because the effects domino through other scenes down the line.
A drive to achieve pushes me to complete projects so I can call them done. I meet my deadlines despite the sacrifices. I have goals for my career and my life, and I have a plan for how to get there.
My persistence (also known as stubbornness) prevents me from giving up in the face of obstacles. I stick with things and see them through to the end. Rejection or criticism doesn’t mean the end of the road, it just means I’m not there yet.
Those sound like good traits to me, so I don’t have any problem being labeled a perfectionist. However, as I’ve said, I consider myself a healthy perfectionist.
I don’t think perfection is actually possible, so I’m not crushed when I don’t attain it, but I do everything in my ability to get close. Others wouldn’t consider me a perfectionist because of that attitude (see here and here). Instead, they’d call me a high-achiever.
Sorry, but I like the ring of “perfectionist” better. *smile*
Do you consider yourself a perfectionist? Does it help or hurt you? If you’re not a perfectionist, how do you get anything done? (Serious question there, my friends, I just can’t conceive of that!)
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