The perfection addiction

Most people realize they aren’t perfect, yet there is a constant need to appear perfect. Have the perfect face, the perfect weight, the perfect relationship, the perfect job, or even the perfect vacation!

While we constantly put that pressure on ourselves, the world around us, including social media platforms, set unrealistic expectations for what our lives should be like. Our life is reduced to the quest of validation in the form of ‘likes’ and ‘shares’. There is a constant urge to compare ourselves to others and to achieve the perfect, curated lives we see on our screens.

The need to be perfect can be extremely exhausting because nothing is ever enough. There will always be something better for us to achieve. It is like a constantly changing goal post. If we believe that ’X’ amount of money is the perfect number, once we get there, there will always be a bigger, more enticing number to be achieved. Of course, at the end of this process, it always leaves us unsatisfied, wanting more.

In some cases, perfection also leads to procrastination. We don't want to take on a task because we are not sure if it will have the perfect outcome. So, we tend to push it to later when we are ready to give it our ‘best shot’ and ‘get it perfectly right’. This leads to many missed opportunities and lost time in our pursuit for perfection. Has this ever happened to you?

The question here is: “What is this obsession of wanting to be perfect?”. The answer is simple. This happens when we base our self-worth on our external achievements. When our happiness gets linked to how much we have achieved externally. When we believe that if we are perfect, we will finally be appreciated, acknowledged, respected and feel good enough.

The most important thing for you to know, is that the key to happiness and well-being lies inside of us, and cannot be fully achieved by external factors. While we may achieve the perfect looking life, unless we are content within, it will never be enough.

True perfection is when we are able to be happy and joyful with the small moments of success and celebration we have on a daily basis. In the words of Louise Hay: “You are neither too much nor too little, you do not have to prove to anyone or anything who you are”. How liberating isn’t it?

The idea is to be content with who you are at this point in time, and to grow in your own way. The answer lies in trusting your own path. It may be very different from others and your timelines may not match with others. And that’s okay!

Here are 10 affirmations for perfectionism, to help you on your journey to self-acceptance, contentment, and happiness.