Are you a perfectionist? Do you know someone who is?

Have you ever wondered if perfectionism is a help or hindrance on the road to success?

In my 14+ years of coaching real estate agents to be at the top of their game, I have seen that perfectionism does more harm than good. In fact there are at least 7 Ways that perfectionism stops you from success.

1. Perfectionism causes procrastination. Have you ever had a project that you really wanted to get done, but never could quite complete it? If you look carefully at what was going on in your mindset, you probably see that you wanted the project to be completed perfectly.

We live in an imperfect world. The idea that perfection is possible is just an illusion. Your desire for perfection can stop you from taking action that is needed. In fact it can even lead to mental paralysis and stop you from listening to your intuition.

Imperfect action is better than no action.

2. You get caught up in the details.

Instead, use your business vision. There is nothing so compelling as a vision for which you have passion. But if you’re busy with the details, and trying to get every little thing perfect, you lose sight of the bigger picture.

Delegate out as many details of your business as you can’t so you can focus on moving your business forward.

3. Perfectionism doesn’t allow you to be yourself. Have you noticed how guarded you feel when you’re trying to put up a front of being perfect? You can’t be yourself, because someone might see that you really aren’t as perfect as you’re trying to be.

How did that get started anyway? In the way that most of us were conditioned, we weren’t allowed to be ourselves. The more our parents had perfectionistic standards for us and the more we tried to achieve those standards, the more of ourselves we had to give away.

We usually do to ourselves what was done to us when we were growing up. Therefore, if you suffer from perfectionism, it is a good bet that it was part of your programming in your early years. Quite likely you picked up the belief, “I have to be perfect to be okay.”

Get to work on discovering your self-limiting beliefs with regard to perfectionism.When you bring those beliefs to the surface, you can release them and replace them with empowering beliefs, such as, “I am perfectly imperfect like everyone else.”

4. Perfectionism set you up to need others’ approval. Let’s face it, when you’re being a perfectionist, you’re thinking about other people approving of you and your work. You’re being “outer directed”, i.e. trying to get you approval from the outside rather than giving it to yourself.

The truth is; we don’t have to be perfect. All we need to do in any particular moment is to do our best. And our best changes from moment to moment and day-to-day. If you’re feeling healthy, your best will be one-way and if you’re feeling sickly your best will be another way. In either case you just need to remember that your job is only to do your best.

Forget about needing other people’s approval, because what others think of you is really not your business.

5. Perfectionism causes you to be in a constant state of stress, because you’re always trying to meet your perfect standards. According to the law of attraction, the states of consciousness that attract prosperity and success are very positive, such as gratitude, appreciation, and love. When you send out those energies, you are becoming more magnetic for your ideal business. However, when you are trying to be perfect, you are sending out signals of stress, anxiety and fear.

Notice the feelings you are sending out and make yourself as magnetic as possible by projecting gratitude and tolerance.

6. Perfectionism stops you from taking a risk.Any seasoned real estate agent knows how important it is to take educated risks to move forward. Staying stuck in the status quo never benefited anyone.

However, when you demand of yourself that you need to be perfect, you’ll be very hesitant to take the risk.

When it comes to taking risks – follow your intuition. Your gut knows better what you need than your “I must be perfect” beliefs. Remember, perfection doesn’t exist, it’s a trap.

7. Perfectionism stops you from picking up the phone. The consequences of this are HUGE for your business. In today’s marketplace the old methods of marketing aren’t nearly as effective as you simply picking up the phone and prospecting. Prospective clients are less likely to notice you through a flyer or e-mail. However when they hear the sound of your voice, you’re making personal contact.

So many people I’ve worked with over the years avoid this method of lead generation and their business suffers tremendously.

When I explore with them why they are so avoidant of picking up the phone, it usually comes down to the same thing…. they want to be seen as perfect. This is another way of saying that they are afraid of being seen as “pushy” and afraid of rejection.

When you are marketing yourself to prospective clients, there is no such thing as rejection.It’s simply a match or it’s not a match. Your job is to prospect, present your services and keep on the lookout for someone who needs what you have to offer. If they don’t need it, it simply isn’t a match.

Follow these tips listed above and allow yourself to be “perfectly imperfect”. Your business will thank you for it.

By: Maya Bailey, Ph.D.

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