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Let me cut to the chase, since I know you perfectionists have no time to waste! 

According to Adam Grant in his book, Hidden Potential, he says research suggests that perfectionists get 3 things wrong. 

1. They obsess about things that don’t matter. 

Maybe you’ve been here - going over and over in your head all the different scenarios, all the opinions, all the specifics on constant repetition. It’s exhausting on every level and in the end does not do us any favors. 

2. They avoid unfamiliar situations and difficult tasks that might lead to failure. 

How else do we grow, learn, and succeed? By failure of course! But failure often includes pain and discomfort which we all want to avoid.  The faster we embrace the idea that outside our comfort zone is where true success and growth occur, we can remind ourselves perfectionism at this level is a myth! 

3. They berate themselves for making mistakes which makes it more difficult to learn from them.

It’s impossible to move forward in life when you are constantly beating yourself up for not measuring up and not being good enough. Failure is an absolute if you plan to go after something big and juicy in this life.  Just remember you won’t get there by throwing rocks at yourself! 

So, the next time you find yourself taking on the role of Perfectionist, stop and ask which of these 3 might be keeping you from growth. There’s freedom, failure, and much success on the other side of each of these!