Being Excellent, Not Perfect

"Mastery is awareness, not control" - Peter Senge

* Are you acutely aware of your limitations and those of others?
* Do you often experience disappointment in yourself or others?
* Do you push yourself to achieve an ideal, no matter what?
* Do you feel stressed, anxious and exhausted a lot of the time?
* Do you focus on what you have achieved and your successes, or focus only on what there is still to be done?

We live in a culture that promotes success, competition and the illusion of perfection. Our advertising and marketing machinery promote unrealistic images that keep us striving to achieve the unachievable as a strategy to encourage us to purchase more goods and services. If we just had that house, that car, that look, that body, that ………, we would achieve the ideal and we would be happy.

Inside this paradigm, we often determine our worth by comparing ourselves to others and to the artificially constructed ideals rather than determining a bench-mark that is suitable for us and which is aligned with our unique talents, capabilities and skills. This culture of perfection can fuel insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, a feeling of never being quite good enough, and fear of rejection if we do not conform to its ideals. It can foster an addiction to perfection where individuals try to avoid the feelings of inadequacy by continually striving to achieve the illusion of perfection. Perfectionism often underpins compulsive and addictive behaviours which can be strategies to manage the stress of constantly feeling inadequate and having a nagging sense of not measuring up. However, as with all compulsive and addictive behaviours, once the relief is experienced in the enactment of the compulsion or addiction, the limiting belief is reinforced and the cycle continues.

The sad part about perfectionism is that individuals don't often think of themselves as perfectionists. They believe that a perfectionist actually does things perfectly, rather than being someone who is trapped in feeling that they are inadequate, having to get things right and with no room for error in order to be accepted by others.

* How do you break free from the addiction to perfection?
* How do you maximise your unique gifts and potential without feeling driven to get it right and get somewhere?
* How do you relax and enjoy life, able to feel satisfied and proud of your achievements?

I invite you to use the self-assessment below to gain insight into your relationship to perfection. You can also email your survey to me for a free telephone consultation and to discuss how life coaching may assist you to live a life that is fun and enjoyable, where you can achieve excellence without the stress and worry created by perfectionism.



Passion for Life Coaching works in partnership with you to tap into and unleash your greatness and potential. To achieve the best you can in life you need to get clear about what it is you want, what your passions are and what drives and inspires you.