Perfectionism is a major time trap for many … but the good news is that none of us need to stay stuck in that trap! Time management tips are really paths to freedom, and last week we shared one tip to help with your perfectionism.
As you move away from perfectionism and toward your true self, you discover and activate your strengths – perhaps strengths you didn’t even know you had. And then, by extension, your potential unfolds in new and exciting ways!
So, one of the best, first steps you can take in support of your productivity and life satisfaction is by understanding the ways that you let perfectionism hold you hostage.
Perfectionism: The Time Trap:
Perfectionism traps you into rigid behaviors and paralyzing fears. You may be surprised to learn how much perfectionism derives its powers from false promises and threats that you give yourself. However, sentence completions can help you detect these destructive distortions. Recognizing how insubstantial the promises and threats truly are helps you reclaim your power over your time and your productivity.
Timely Tip: Perfectionism is Filled with Illusions
This sentence-completion exercise helps you see the illusory thoughts and messages that fuel your perfectionism. Using this tool, you develop a fuller and deeper understanding of the ways that you contribute to your own imprisonment. This knowledge puts the power back in your hands.
- Perfectionism weighs me down by ___.
- Doing it perfectly means that I am ____.
- When I don’t do it perfectly, then ____.
Timely Tip: Questions About Perfectionism Help You Find Freedom
When you were a child, your perfectionism may have started as an honest attempt to do your best and to please others who were important to you.
Now, though, your task is to expose the illusions of perfectionism, so that the power of reality can free you to step into your real strengths.
As you explore the sentences you complete above, ask yourself the following questions to help you reduce the illusory importance of perfectionism … and with that, reduce its power over you!
- What fears fuel your desire to be perfect?
- What special myths or anticipated outcomes do you attach to the idea of perfection?
- What real reward can you give yourself that is more valuable than chasing the impossible illusion of perfection?
By shining the light on old beliefs, you not only illuminate their emptiness, but you also give yourself a powerful incentive to open up new worlds of potential! And it’s vital to remember that this is an ongoing exploration. The more effectively you focus on realistic goals, the easier you will find it to pace yourself and attain success. Starting and completing important projects will no longer incapacitate you with anxiety.
As a final exercise, ask yourself, how can you eliminate one of the constrictions of perfectionism from your life today?
And if you’d like to learn more about your own patterns and start changing them, my new Exercise and Guide Book titled, “‘These Critical Voices Are Driving Me Crazy!’ How to Use Positive Self-Talk to Save Your Sanity and Your Time!” offers proven techniques and practical tips to quiet those disruptive, haunting and hostile voices of self-criticism.
We really can make conscious choices about the kinds of messages that we give ourselves. This Exercise and Guide Book gives you a step-by-step path to take back your power and quiet the self-criticism that saps your confidence, your energy, and your time.
Don’t let those hurtful voices hold you hostage! Click the link to get started!
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