A perfectionist is someone who wants to do everything in the best possible way, a responsible, diligent and very demanding person — what’s wrong with that? Why should one curb such commendable qualities in oneself? American psychologist Elizabeth Lombardo convincingly argues that the pursuit of perfection is a big trap in itself.
If only because it is unattainable. This means that perfectionists cannot experience real satisfaction, and the joy of victory disappears too quickly. Therefore, the constant companions of a perfectionist are anxiety, guilt, irritability, insomnia. He often unconsciously procrastinates (delays or even hesitates to start things), because there is a risk of not coping with them perfectly. Those who recognize themselves in this description should study the “encyclopedia of perfectionism” with a pencil in their hands in order to free themselves from black and white thinking, stop sticking labels and comparing themselves with others, learn to appreciate failures and, finally, get out of the meaningless race for excellence. .
Mann, Ivanov & Ferber, 304 pp., 2015.