Perfectionism Starts Early

Some equate who they are with the quality of their work.  Even little kids starting to draw begin to evaluate their drawings with unrealistic expectations.  “It doesn’t look like a face...” and tears begin to flow for any 4 year old who becomes overwhelmed with the stressful chore to be perfect. We all have a 4 year old inside of us.  

One thread we humans have in common is the difficulty with tolerating not being competent in every minute of our lives.  And for some, give up quickly, never recognizing life is a practice.  We humans are influenced by values in the world – some think there is one right way of doing a task, and too often these tasks are evaluated, judged, compared to other works, all done through unrealistic thinking. 

It’s no wonder we have some sort of relentless self-evaluation running through our thirsty souls, searching for the next brilliant solution and perfect ideas.  And even when we humans get the feedback we long desired, we might think others are not honest, or feel we are not good enough.  We continue to focus on what is wrong, rather than what’s going right.