Some individuals regard themselves as perfectionists, portraying themselves as people who would rather not produce something or create an outcome if it's not going to be perfect. In some fraternities, such individuals are praised and admired.
But, when you dive deeper into the so-called perfectionists, you get to realize that they use their 'perfectionist' persona as a mask for procrastination.
They would rather not do anything if it is not going to come out perfect. Therefore that gives them room to comfortably procrastinate without being judged.
They do this not just in their own projects but in collaborative ones too.
Because the world tends to admire such, it gets blinded and does not see that the majority of such people are procrastinators more than the perfectionists they claim to be.
Perceiving yourself as a perfectionist is one core element that makes you lazy and procrastinate without feeling guilty or having to deal with the recourse of not doing things timeously.
Some people have planned to create an art piece and publish it, some have planned to write and publish a book, and others have plans of starting a business, but they have not because 'it has to be perfect'. Years later, all that they have is still a plan. This is what most perfectionists easily get away with.
The most successful individuals are those who do the things they have to do irrespective of how they feel.
Not to say one must produce mediocre products or outcomes, but compared to procrastinating for years on end, rather produce a mediocre product and learn from it.
Make mistakes.
'Waste' that time.
Lose that money.
The upside will be - you will gain experience, and you will know what works and what doesn't. You would acquire the skill to troubleshoot. And that will surely make you 10x better than the perfectionist that waits for the perfect time, or when it feels right.
We ought to be wary of perfectionists, they masquerade as the most skilled and most wise when in fact they lack discipline in doing what needs to be done when it has to be done.
If you also regard yourself as a perfectionist, ask yourself, why are you a perfectionist? What makes you one? And what positive result has your perfectionism yielded for you in the past twelve months?
You may find that you may be using your curated perfectionist persona as a mask for procrastination.
In conclusion, when you encounter a person calling themselves a perfectionist, be wise enough to understand why.
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