Pursuing Excellence Over Perfection

Ever felt like a hamster on a wheel, tirelessly chasing the illusion of perfection, only to end up exhausted and dissatisfied? Well, you are not alone. That's the story of many. In this episode we examine the often-blurred lines between the healthy pursuit of excellence and the crippling quest for perfection.  

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Welcome to Sincerely Brown Skin, a podcast where I'm diving into the intimate areas of your life, on all things relationships, personal growth and self-love. I'm your host, quen, and my goal each week is to provide you with a little advice, a spoonful of encouragement and a sincere reminder that, honey, you are a wonder, you are magical, you are worthy, and then some. Now let's get this quick slide, for goodness.

Speaker 2: 0:31

Do you find yourself sometimes caught in this relentless pursuit of perfection, feeling the pressure and various aspects of your life, be it your personal relationships, your physical appearance, your parenting style or even your finances? This continuous drive to meet your owner, others, imposing standards and expectations, has, quite frankly, left you exhausted, consistently falling short and grappling with the emotional toll of perceived mistakes and failures. You know, one of the misconceptions surrounding perfectionism lies in the blending of excellence and perfection. While striving for excellence and maintaining high standards can be motivating, perfection in reality is just not ideal, no matter how fervently we desire or need it, it simply does not exist in the complexity of real life and, as a result, consistently trying to achieve these standards becomes, you know, this elusive endeavor, leading to self-criticism for perceived shortcomings and, rather than attributing the challenges that may arise from the impractical standards that you have set, the solution often appears to be for one to just try harder, which in turn perpetrates this never ending cycle of striving for, you know, this intangible prize that's always going to be just beyond grabs. But when it comes to striving for excellence, this entails deriving joy from both the process and the outcome. It involves finding satisfaction in what you are doing and feeling good about your accomplishments, while stirring natural self-confidence over time. On the flip side, perfectionism is marked by a relentless pursuit of fault finding, and, you know, dissatisfaction with anything less than absolute perfection, and regardless of success or achievement. A perfectionist is plagued by the belief that it's never good enough, compelling them to continually shift their goals and pursue more and better. Like you know, they're always chasing something and over time it does everything but builds one's confidence. You see, excellence is about doing the right thing, aligning actions with personal values and internal guidance.

Speaker 2: 2:59

Professionism focuses on doing things right, based on external validation and approval. You know, like relinquishing personal power to the opinions and expectations of others. Here's a little known fact for you Our environment significantly shapes us more than we like to acknowledge. From a young age, individuals like parents and teachers instill a drive in us for high achievement. I know for me personally, growing up, I internalize the notion that mistakes were to be avoided at all costs, associating them with feelings of judgment and criticism from those close to me. Thankfully, I have outgrown that mindset and have come to realize that that is nothing but an illusion of profession trying to convince you that having high standards and relentlessly pursuing improvement is unconditionally virtuous, fostering the belief that we are never good enough as we are. And in this pursuit, what ends up happening is we sacrifice authenticity, striving to be our best rather than embracing our true selves. But hear me when I say you must break free from that mindset and recognize and appreciate your inherent worth, accepting yourself as you are. It's about striving for excellence, not profession. Sincerely.

Speaker 1: 4:32

Brown Skin. Thank you so much. Felicity to Sincerely Brown Skin. Make sure you share with your friend girls and hit that subscribe button so that you don't miss any of the conversation. I would love to hear from you. So if you enjoyed the show, be sure to leave me a review. Thanks for stopping by and until next time may everything that concerns you be covered in favor in your week ahead. Bye now.