Perfectionism... Something to Be Proud Of - 5 Reasons If You Are an Entrepreneur

One of the comments I hear often, especially from female clients, is: “I am my own worst enemy-critic.” Not surprisingly, many claim to be perfectionists. As we all know, anything brought to its extreme can be unhealthy, and it is no different with perfectionism. This article is dedicated to all of you who tend to be hard-on-yourself perfectionists, and deals with how perfectionism can be either helpful or harmful. Here are:

Top 5 Ways Entrepreneurial Perfectionists Block Success

1. Fear of taking risks: Being cautious -- for the purpose of avoiding criticism -- may prevent you from sharing your creative ideas with others, progressing, and becoming successful.
2. “Losing the forest for the trees”: Avoidance behaviors are very time-consuming and prevent you from completing tasks, and committing to yourself and others. Examples include: getting something just “right” - usually to avoid mistakes and public humiliation - and getting organized and re-organized until you are comfortable.
3. Sabotaging yourself: Having unrealistic expectations -- including unreasonable deadlines and unmanageable workloads -- can lead to failure.
4. Difficulty delegating: It can keep you from being effective. For instance, when you choose to not delegate tasks -- i.e. being resourceful and benefiting from others’ help -- because you are concerned that the quality of work performed by others will be inadequate, you get stuck with lots of work, which takes a lot of time.
5. Conflict: Believing that there is only one right way of doing a job can cause tension, disagreements, and conflicts

As an entrepreneur , here are 5 ways you can boost your chances of being successful -- in your business, relationships, and life.

Top 5 Ways Entrepreneurial Perfectionists Boost Success

Nurture yourself and place yourself in nurturing environments. To get started, follow the suggestions that you find the most applicable and valuable to you.

1. Develop functional boundaries. Specifically, respect your and others’ opinions, rights, and preferences.
2. Become aware of when you may be judging yourself and others, or fearful of rejection or failure. This will make it easier for you to separate your feelings from the content of your problems.
3. Forgive yourself and others for mistakes made. This will allow you to learn and grow beyond your current comfort zone, and attract more of what you want out of life.
4. Give yourself and others kindness, tenderness and understanding during stressful times. Also allow yourself to receive these gifts, and to communicate openly and honestly with others. For instance, if you are making a presentation and you are both nervous and excited, you can certainly mention this to the audience if you like. Doing this will show others that you are human and thereby make you more approachable than if you “acted” perfect.
5. Have fun anywhere, anytime, …even though you or a situation may not feel perfect. Which one of the following statements describes you the most: “I avoid pain and negativity,” or “I embrace pleasure and positivism?” If it is negativity, begin to focus more on the positives in your life, by expressing every day what you are thankful for.