Are you not sure if you’re a perfectionist? Here are the top five characteristics common to most perfectionists. If you recognize yourself in this list, you probably are a perfectionist.
1.) Unrealistic or Impossible Standards
Do you want things to be perfect? Do you set standards so high even Superman would have trouble meeting your expectations?
Expecting perfection is the number one characteristic of a perfectionist. It’s these impossible to meet standards that lead to frustration, anxiety, and even mental health concerns.
2.) Being Extremely Critical Towards Oneself and Others
This is the second common characteristic. Because you want to meet those high standards you set and/or expect others to set them, you’re hard on yourself and others.
This is especially true when mistakes or “failures” happen. You might berate yourself or others, get overly angry, or fall into a deep depression when things don’t turn out as you expect.
3.) Focusing Only on Results
Do you enjoy the journey towards reaching a goal or are you so focused on achieving the goal that the process doesn’t matter? Growing and learning along the way is often the best part of reaching a goal, but if you can’t see anything except the goal itself, you’re probably a perfectionist.
4.) Fear of Failure
Are you terrified of failing? Does the thought of making a mistake make your blood run cold? Do you have nightmares about failing to live up to your expectations? This is yet another common characteristic of perfectionism. The fear of failure pushes most perfectionists to work even harder and faster to avoid the dreaded outcome.
5.) All-or-Nothing Thinking
This occurs when you think something must be perfect or it doesn’t count. For example, most people would be thrilled to get a 99% on a test, but a perfectionist will be upset that it wasn’t a 100 and consider the test to be a failure. This sort of thinking becomes even more pernicious when applied to other things in life, such as projects at work and in relationships.
These are just the top five characteristics most perfectionists have in common. Many also have trouble with procrastination, depression, defensiveness, and suffer from low self-esteem. None of these traits are healthy, but they can all be overcome with hard work and determination.
Start working today to make progress on your perfectionism and soon you’ll be able to call yourself a “recovering” perfectionist!