Perfectionism

@Aldrick.

Alright, let me rephrase my entire post because it was getting late when I wrote in on Friday and I was slowly losing consciousness, so forgive me. There are two distinct mindsets that often can classified under the blanket term of perfectionism:

1. One who truly has an obsession with achieving perfection.
2. One who suffers with perpetual feelings of inadequacy.

For example: We have two competitors at the Olympics.

Competitor one performs and receives one point off of a perfect score. They are extremely disappointed because their score wasn't perfect. (#1)

Competitor two performs and receives a perfect score. They, however, are severely disappointed because regardless of their score they don't believe their performance was good enough. (#2)

Of course, we can classify both individuals are perfectionists, but there is a vital difference between them. A perfectionist is an individual who strives to achieve the highest possible degree in every section of their lives. Some people say that a perfectionist will never be satisfied with anything because perfection is not achievable, but that is not entirely true. We push forth the idea that perfection this fiction ideal that is never achievable in order to encourage people to be satisfied with what they achieve, but that claim isn't true. The definition of perfection is "the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects."

A hundred percent on a test, task, or performance is perfect. Academically, a 4.0 from kindergarten through graduate school is perfect. Athletically, a runner who runs as fast as human physiology will allow is running a perfect race.

Perfectionist strive for the highest possible degree. The issue isn't that the degree isn't achievable. The issue is that degree in every area of your life is extremely mentally and physically taxing. True perfectionists are individuals, who might not actually think lowly of themselves in reality, who may even be completely confident in themselves; their flaw is the fixation and obsession, that they have gathered on, with constantly reaching extreme heights.

On the other side you have these individuals who are perpetually inadequate. Their standards are irrational because they are never achievable. This is the person who will draw that perfect circle, achieved that perfect score, and reached the highest possible height and still feel horrid. Still feel inadequate in their lives and achievements. The cause of constant dissatisfaction is inadequacy, not perfectionist. There are definitely times with the two go hand in hand, but they are not synonymous.

You can see how these are two distinct mindsets and must be confronted accordingly. With someone suffering with true perfectionism, you must hone in on the cause behind your obsessions and come to terms with the true things in your life that you actually need to be happy and content. Slowly teaching yourself to stop obsessing over things that aren't necessary in your life. With someone suffering with deep-rooted inadequacy, you must first discover the origins of these feelings (They are almost always leading back to very early experiences and environments). Then it takes constantly reaffirming the reality that you worth as an individual is dependent on your ability to achieve certain standard and what you are able to put forth carries it's own value.

Hopefully, this made a bit more sense in the point that I was attempting to get across.