This is for everyone (including myself) who is their own worst critic.
Perfectionists.

This is on my mind freshly, after my session yesterday with my own business coach. I thought it a worthy topic, because we did an exercise that showed me what my perfectionism is costing me. Of course, I know I am not the only perfectionist out there. Many of my own clients struggle with perfectionism; in fact yesterday one of my clients was just tearing herself a new one over every thing that isn’t perfect in the way she has built her business; yet this business is a success story that will be all over the media some day soon because she is such a dynamic leader and her story is so inspiring. Her self-flagellation was horrendous, though. It kept her from taking any satisfaction from the years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice she has put into this amazing company. I found myself shaking my head at how her perfectionism stands in the way of her happiness, and all of a sudden, it was like someone hit me in the head with an iron bar. BOOINGGGGGH! That’s you, Coach! That’s what YOUR coach was showing YOU! It is always easiest to see things in others, yet we avoid looking in the mirror at ourselves, so it took me a while to admit the degree of my own perfectionism and how it was hindering my own performance. Among other things, perfectionism can affect our:

• Time Management Skills
• Organizational Skills
• Prioritization
• Home/work balance
• Productivity
• Frustration level with ourselves and/or others
• Self-Image

I asked myself: “Do they have a 12-Step Program for Perfectionists?” Because this behavior reeks of my other addictions. Why don’t they just call it “perfect-aholism”?
You know, I heard of a 12-Step Program for people who talk too much. It’s called “On-and-On-Anon”. Sorry… (you can thank Garrison Keiler for that one.)

As with any other behavior, recognition of your perfectionism is the first step, and recognizing it will most likely come once it begins to affect either your performance, or it begins to create some habit someone else recognizes and points out to you. (Like your darn coach!  I love that darn guy….I want to kill him. I sure hope they ask me to do the Eulogy, because he was a good coach!  And that Eulogy is going to be PERFECT. I won’t do anything else for three days until I get it right.  I’ll draw the drapes, I won’t go to work, I won’t eat, (unless there’s chocolate or cookies around somewhere, in which case I’ll eat the whole darn box) sit in my jammies and write it over and over and over and over and… gosh there are papers everywhere all crumpled up, it’s almost where I want it; I better get it done soon, though because I need a shower and I really have to go pee but I want to get this just right first…”

Can you relate? Thank God for our sense of humor…and thank God for our coaches, who bring out the best, and sometimes the worst, in us.