By Christine Cioppa

Are you a perfectionist? Whether it’s with goals for classes, sports, or something else, you’re probably a perfectionist if you:

• Dread failure and mope about it.
• Feel unsatisfied with “less than perfect” results.
• Get defensive when people offer criticism.
• Believe mistakes make you incompetent or not worth much.
• Set standards so high, they are almost unachievable.

Universities such as Vanderbilt, University of Texas and University of San Diego promote an understanding of what is healthy “striving” versus perfectionism. What is known is that perfectionists aren’t necessarily more successful. Perfectionists sometimes spend too much time wrapped up in small details, throwing off good time management.

GoodTherapy.org points out a few other perfectionist traits, including:

• Focusing on the end product rather than the process of learning.
• Having difficulty being happy for others who are successful.
• Believing that anything less than a perfect or ideal outcome is not worth achieving.

Unfortunately, this unrelenting type of striving can also cause anxiety, depression, burnout, and stress, which can be counterproductive.

If you’re not a surgeon, and you don’t build engines or mechanical equipment for airplanes—things that actually could cause fatalities if errors are made—you may be able to take a little pressure off yourself.

In our everyday lives, how can we strive in the most healthful way to propel us toward success and into greatness? The University of Texas at Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center suggests that healthy striving (versus perfectionism) is:

• Setting high standards that are within reach.
• Enjoying the process of the work, not just the desired outcome.
• Getting past failure and disappointment fairly quickly.
• Having control of anxiety and fear in the face of failure.
• Being receptive to constructive criticism.
• Looking at failure as an opportunity to grow and learn.

Are you being too serious about your goals? At Vanderbilt’s Health and Wellness website, Chad Buck, PhD, says, “Mistakes, problems, unexpected detours, and changing schedules are not necessarily the end of the world. Sometimes we actually do learn from mistakes. The goal is not to just laugh it off or to make fun of perfectionism. It is to give yourself a break and let life teach you something instead of just trying to control it.”

Are you a perfectionist? Take the Perfectionism Test from Psychology Today. Find it at:

http://psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/take_test.php?idRegTest=3262

This 46 question quiz takes about 10 to 20 minutes. You’ll get a summary of your perfectionist “strengths,” “potential strengths” and “limitations.” You can also opt for a more in-depth report.

Ease the Stress by Creating a Checklist

Take the stress out of making things perfect by creating a thorough checklist.

Doctors use checklists, as do pilots. A paper in an issue of BMJ Quality & Safety in 2015 discusses how checklists in medicine can help assure quality and safety just as it has for the aviation industry for more than 70 years.

If there’s something you need to ensure the quality of (say a research paper or thesis), maybe there are checklists already available. If not, maybe you can create your own. Checklists help you isolate areas of concern so you can double check quality and accuracy.