Why do perfectionists often feel like having to tame their perfectionism? After all, they likes perfection, so why would they want to fight it? Living beings tend to dislike pain, whatever pain may mean to them. Feeling stupid is a pain that many perfectionists fear precisely because they love perfection. Thus, they frequently become a hindrance to themselves when confronted with their own (relative) imperfection. There are three simple steps that help breaking out of the vicious circle:
- Accept that you are infinitely unknowledgeable. Knowledge knows no boundaries, hence you will always remain pretty vacuous.
- Stop caring about what you think about yourself. Picture another dimension of yourself, and just let that being do its thing. As long as it is happy, what’s the harm?
- Stop caring about what other people think since most will never get you….and they don’t need to either.
You may want to swap the term perfectionist with the word geek, if you consider yourself to be one.