Helpful Things to Say to Myself to Overcome Perfectionism

No one can be totally perfect.

I’m not perfect and I never will be – tough!

It’s okay to want to do my best.

Doing well does not necessarily mean being the best.

Just because I make a mistake does not mean I am a mistake.

To be human is to err.

The pressure I put on myself to perform perfectly is an unrealistic pressure that can actually cause me to perform worse because I will be worried and nervous.

The pressure I put on myself to perform perfectly creates an extra source of stress that can affect me emotionally and physically.

Trying to do my best is a reasonable goal, but it will not always be achieved.

Few things in life are exact. Things can be done in a variety of ways and have many different solutions.

People do not always agree on what is correct or right. Judgments are often subjective. I will try to set my own realistic goals, please myself, and have the strength to be creative and different in the face of others’ potential disapproval.

Our whole society is geared to expect that people will make mistakes and errors. Examples are traffic tickets, prison, consumer recalls, consumer complaints, refunds, legal suits, etc.

True friends accept imperfection.

Mistakes do not equal incompetence.

Mistakes are just mistakes – period!