Often closely related to intelligence and achievement, impostor syndrome (IS) refers to an internal feeling that you are not as competent as others view you to be. However, IS is cardinally associated with perfectionism and the social context as well.
There are various type of backgrounds how one can end-up here but one common trait and today’s topic is perfectionism.
Discussing perfectionism,
the first thought that crosses my my mind —
Interviewer: “What is your strength?”
Interviewee: “I am a perfectionist. Whatever I do, I will give my 100%”
Interviewer: “What is your weakness?”
Interviewee: “I am a perfectionist. I tend to spend more time/effort/XXX to meet quality”
Whether a interview gimmick or not, this is indeed a great example of perfectionism. However, it weighs more on the ‘weakness’ part in real life unless and until one has overcome and mastered to control it. So if someone is trying to fancy the interviewer with this quality, do be aware of the risk.
There is enough content on the internet. So I will spare the internet from more data pollution. Here are few sample links to variety of contents I found useful/relatable to describe perfectionists covering work life, personal image, relationships and health.
Link1 , Link2 , Link3 , Link4 , Link5 , Link6 , Link7 , Link8 , Link9 , Link10
My favorite:
Roots of my perfectionism
My earliest symptom of perfectionism was in primary school when I got 24.25/25 when I could get 24.75/25. This probably seemed cute or annoying but its actual face is unhealthy. With education system that has large weightage to small numbers, automatically sticks perfectionism to many personalities. It will unravel more problems in the near future when definition of success is revolutionized. This shows evidence to why parents learning to differentiate between ambition and obsession, teachers learning to educate motivation from right things, students being self-aware is necessary. Ironically, 25/25 cannot take one to mars the next day. That kind of success to continue for years and life time, there should be a sustainable way of meeting it.
Sustainability comes from healthy practices. Healthy practices come from healthy motivation.
Beating perfectionism may look like
Cropping out weeds from a farm or a perfectionist in balance. Oh btw, why balance? Read blog or smoking but nothing between your lips. You know what that means? Breathing exercise :p
Peeling off such compound and saturated beliefs may be difficult but not impossible. It will take a long time to overcome imposter syndrome due to its ironical situation. However, the journey will be profound and results will be life-changing:
- Self-love
- Work-life balance
- Healthily defined success
- Faster growth
- Mental peace
- Improved emotional intelligence
❤
— — — Thanks for reading! Please drop your thoughts in the comments. — —
