I Am a Recovering Perfectionionist
Living your Ikigai by focusing on what matters.
I am a recovering perfectionionist.
Many books have had a lasting impact on my life. One such book is the 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch.
Reading it fundamentally changed my life.
In part because it helped me realize my perfectionist tendency and proved to me how little value there was in such an approach.
Very little of what we do brings us the majority of our results. Focusing on those few things is better than trying to make everything perfect.
If you are struggling with making everything perfect or waiting to take action until everything is just right, study the 80/20 principle in depth.
It will make a difference for you.
There are few things of value; focus on those things, grow those things, and make those things better.
And yes, I know I misspelled perfectionist in the title. It is part of my recovery program to let it go.
Exercise:
Ikigai is about experiencing your essence and purpose in harmony with whatever you do.
Imagine experiencing your Ikigai by focusing on those few things that are valuable in life.
How would letting go of low-value things support more time for Ikigai things?
Dave I had the honor of having you as my manager at NM, and the 80/20 rule was just one of the philosophies you taught me but perhaps one of the best. I too continue on the road of a recovering perfectionist. I’ve saved myself a lot of time and stress by simply asking and then telling myself many late nights... “Yes Ann, this is good enough! Now go home”. One particular night I will always remember Dave.... it was late. Everyone else went home. You walked by and said why are you still here? I said I promised you I’d have those stats for by the end of the day. You looked at me and said “you know what, I most likely won’t even look at them tomorrow or the next day... due dates are initial targets but not always set in stone. Just ask if you have things come up and most likely the recipient will be flexible and not even need the information when they initially asked for it.” I’ll never forget that. I preached it to my team members going forward as a team lead. Thank you Dave for all you’ve taught me and giving me the tools to pay it forward and teach others.
Likewise, I am a perfectionionalist in recovery as well. It's both a blessing and a curse, depending on what day it is, and or, the given project at hand. Those chromosomes were passed to me from my father who was a self taught DIYer and exuded these traits strongly. Fortunately, I somehow have managed to collect enough birthdays in spite of myself, to gain some clarity, self-awareness and humility to set my ego aside and seek assistance from life coaches to help me reduce this malady of the human condition. This platform is another positive way to enrich and continue that WIP.