Did you use correction fluid during your school years? Were we allowed to make mistakes? Were you praised for your mistakes or scolded?

Perfectionism for the Sake of Perfectionism

There are people with a rich inner world (though I don’t think that’s the cause) for whom it is very important that everything is perfectly arranged—even objects. Here, perfectionism is more of an art form than a medical diagnosis. Seeing how such a person organizes material space or processes can be mesmerizing! But is it easy for such a person to live in our world?

Perfectionism as a Fear of Mistakes

To avoid making mistakes, everything must be perfect. Perhaps this stems from our school days—when we feared mistakes like the plague and did everything in our power to satisfy our teachers and parents. Correction fluid was a person’s best friend.

Modern Tools

Nowadays, there’s simply no place for mistakes. With the help of technological crutches, we begin to appear perfect. If you were writing by hand and made a mistake—would it be shameful? Is it acceptable to simply cross it out and leave a trace of the “crime”? Perhaps this helps to show that the author of the mistake is a real, living person?

Extremes

Often, a perfectionist is a person of extremes. Everything must be done either perfectly or not at all. If there’s even a suspicion that a certain task cannot be completed perfectly or is too difficult—it won’t be done at all. It’s better not to do it at all than to achieve less than perfect results.

Who Would You Want as Your Dentist?

We might criticize or laugh at someone who tends to be a perfectionist—sorting everything that can be sorted and organizing everything into boxes. And this takes up a lot of time. But if you were getting a filling done or taking your car to a repair shop—would you want the person to be a perfectionist, or just a “regular guy” who’s satisfied with an average result?

There’s a Time for Everything

Is it possible to turn perfectionism on when needed? To activate it when it’s really necessary—like when designing a building, repairing a car, or giving a haircut? The rest of the time in our lives—imagine how much energy is spent maintaining perfect order in everything. Everything we own requires our attention to maintain its condition. Perhaps perfectionism is a good remedy for perfectionists? Everything should be in perfect order—but there will be much less of it.