When is good good enough

A healthy perfectionist is a mythical creature, like a mermaid or a unicorn. While perfectionists are often hard workers who act with loyalty and integrity, they are more vulnerable to anger, depression, and burnout as they chase after a moving, unreachable target.

They try to ward off anxiety and any accompanying unpleasant feelings (e.g., disappointment, rejection) by ensuring everything is just right.

Despite the emotional burden that accompanies perfectionism, a lot of people don’t want to give up their perfectionism because they confuse it with their ambition and drive.

They tend to cling to it despite it being the “100-ton armor they carry around” (Brené Brown).

Good enough is good enough quote

Additionally, if a perfectionist chooses to pursue therapy, they can worry that if they lower their standards too much, they won’t succeed. The desire to be perfect, however, is not the same as the desire to excel.

Since perfection is so rare, though, this unattainable goal paradoxically only serves to increase negativity.

According to Amanda Ruggeri, “Perfectionism, after all,

when only the best is good enough

when your good is not good enough