11 Signs You’re Too Much of a Perfectionist

We all set standards for ourselves in work, hobbies, and our personal lives. Setting standards and goals are the most effective way to constantly work towards what we want in life. And being serious about achievement and personal success is important. But there is a need for balance and grace, giving yourself room to make mistakes and possibly fail while trying to be your best. Being too much of a perfectionist leaves no room for error, and can be unhealthy for you and difficult for those closest to you. If you feel like you may be a little too harsh on yourself or others, check out these 11 signs that you’re too much of a perfectionist.

You can’t handle making mistakes.

If you leave yourself no room to ever make mistakes, then you likely have an issue with perfectionism. You likely cannot leave errors for long, feeling an immediate need to correct them.

You deal in absolutes.

You may feel like everything has to be all or nothing, in that either you have done well or poorly, with no room for gray area. Things are either totally right or wrong, good or bad.

You have unrealistic expectations of yourself and others.

Not only is it hard on yourself to maintain unrealistic standards, but it is extremely taxing on your loved ones if you constantly force them to attempt to meet them as well.

You have low self-esteem.

Constantly holding yourself to unrealistic expectations will leave you in a place of consistent failure. Failing repeatedly can lead you to think poorly of yourself, when really you never stood a chance at success with impossibly high standards.