1 Chasing perfection
Perhaps you’ve always had an idea of the ‘perfect’ life: an amazing partner, two children (a boy and a girl), a big house, fantastic holidays... Then, life throws you a curveball: an injury forces you to rethink your career, or your partner develops depression. Perfectionists struggle: ‘How can I go forward with this less-than-perfect life?’ With this mindset, seeking perfection keeps us in a state of paralysis, the opposite of real strength, which is about growth and progression. Perfectionists may appear to be productive characters, but sometimes you can fail to fulfil your potential in the pursuit of perfection. This is because you’re too scared to give things a go, in case you’re not good enough. Failure is a crucial part of building resilience. A good start is to ask: ‘Where can I find the compromise?’
2 Being a catastrophist