Perfectionism

?I would argue that trying to be perfect can be extremely detrimental to your goals, career and even physical mental health, ultimately leading to burnout. Similarly, inefficiently focusing your energy and resources on the wrong priorities can also zap you, but at least you might have gained some perspective--good or bad--along the way. With perfectionism, the sad reality is that many times you never even start what you set out to do because you think you don't have it?"perfect" enough to even begin. Perfectionism kills many spoken and unspoken dreams. There might be?things you want to start, pursue, or accomplish but the voice in your head tells you that there is NO way you could ever accomplish it because you are far from perfection. The following are three practices you can incorporate to stop perfectionism dead in its tracks!

1.?Stop Comparing: Comparison is the thief of joy. When you compare yourself to others, you compare yourself (which you know everything about) to someone?whom you probably know very little about. Even though it looks like they have the perfect family, growing business, or flawless appearance, you really don't know what is going on behind the scenes; no one has a perfect life, no matter how perfect they may appear.?Perfectionism uses comparison against you like a secret weapon; it highlights all of your flaws and then stacks them up right next to someone?you view as perfect. This type of unhealthy comparison can hinder, if not paralyze, your forward progress toward your goals and accomplishments.?Stop comparing and?be realistic about where you are, step out in faith?and compete against yourself, not others.

2. Define the Win:?It is essential to clearly define what success looks like. I am married and have a nine-month-old daughter. The sacrifices?I am willing to make to be away from my family look a little different than some of my buddies who are unmarried and have no kids. They can freely travel the world for their job, not being home for months. If?I compare my life to theirs, I unconsciously?take away from all the amazing?things I have in my life. I must be intentional to define what success looks like to me. If I have no barometer of success, I might have a great month or year professionally and then still feel discontent because I don't know what I am aiming for. It is extremely?important to clearly define your goals and determine what a win looks like for you. It might help to actually write them down and review them quarterly or annually to help you objectively see your accomplishments and adjust as needed.

3. Start Celebrating: About two years ago I received the biggest speaking opportunity I'd ever had.?I couldn't believe it.?I remember being so excited...for only about five minutes... then the doubt and fear set in. "Who am I to be able to do this big speaking engagement? I better get to work right away to make this perfect." Instead of being able to truly enjoy and celebrate properly for the HUGE accomplishment I just had, I started to stress about it--how crazy is that??I am working on becoming?better at celebrating when things go well and I think you should too. When we celebrate, we build momentum and allow ourselves to enjoy each part of the process rather than staying on the treadmill of never being perfect enough.

I hope these three practices help you kill perfectionism before it ever tries to pitch?a tent and inhabit your thoughts.

Make a difference!

About the Author: Alex Demczak is a former SEC quarterback, Author of Thrive U, and Motivational speaker. Alex challenges businesses, schools, sports teams, and non-profits to maximize their potential and make a difference. Alex is currently booking virtual workshops, one on one coaching, and in person speaking engagements for 2020-2021. You can follow Alex on Instagram at @AlexDemczak or connect with him at www.AlexSpeaking.com