It's common for entrepreneurs to strive for perfection every day. After all, your business is your pride. It's all too familiar: always having that burning feeling inside you, wanting everything should be perfect.
Being a perfectionist may have its perks, but there is a dark side. The pressure and expectations that you place on yourself could become so heavy that it'll lead to your downfall.
Having a perfectionist mindset can hurt your business real bad, here are 5 reasons why.
You Become Overwhelmed
You set such high expectations for yourself that you end up feeling overwhelmed and never finish anything. When you're a perfectionist, you're always looking for the perfect first step, second step, and so on. You then overwhelm your teammates. You pass off to them your unrealistic expectations, which can cause horrible tension and unproductivity.
You Become Difficult to Work With
'Difficult to work with' is an understatement, you could even be hated by your team. You might not realize it, but you may be becoming a monster — hungry for nothing but your idea of 'the best.' You demand from your team the same high standards that you require from yourself. If you continue with that attitude, well, expect high employee turnover.
You Risk Hurting Your Mental Health
When it comes to perfectionism, one thing is absolute — nothing's ever good enough. There's the urge to get everything absolutely right, and when nothing goes your way, you're putting your mental health at huge risk because of extreme stress. It can cause severe depression, anxiety, and you'll never have peace of mind.
You Don't Handle Failure Well
Perfectionism can be a dangerous obsession. There is literally no room for failure because it's seen as a flaw. In reality, not everything is going to go your way. It's going to be beyond difficult for you and your business to cope up with failure. In worst-case scenarios, cases like these can even lead to suicide.
You Waste Time and Opportunities
There's just always too many excuses. You never get anything done, and you never meet any deadlines. You put so much thought into every little detail and planning that you're never ready to move on to the next step. You're so focused on making sure everything just has to be perfect that you don't realise all the opportunities you've missed.
Yes, good things may come from being a perfectionist, but the bad could overshadow the good. It's a never-ending cycle of obsession.
If you feel like you're a perfectionist, I know for sure that you're bright, conscientious, and hardworking. Give yourself a little bit of self-compassion. Go easy on yourself and turn these excellent qualities into peace and success.
Allow yourself to be imperfect, to grow, and to learn.