Self Defeating Belief Number 2

Self Defeating Belief Number 2

To feel happy and be worthwhile I must achieve, succeed at what ever I do, and make no mistakes.

What’s wrong with aiming for perfection you may ask. There is nothing wrong with aiming for perfection, but insisting on it is irrational. No one is perfect, nor will we ever be. If you are constantly setting unobtainable high goals, you are only setting yourself up for failure and disappointment when you don’t reach that goal, despite the fact that you may in fact have achieved quite significantly. And setting up perfectionism as a goal actually makes it harder to achieve as end up you placing a lot of pressure on yourself which creates anxiety, thereby reducing your performance. It is more rational to set realistic goals, understand that you will make mistakes (because every body does) and learn from those mistake for the future.

A healthier idea

I want to do some things well most of the time. Like everybody, I will occasionally fail or make a mistake, then I will feel disappointed, but I can cope with that, and I can take constructive steps to do better next time.