September 7, 2023

In my college years I worked a 40 hour a week job to support Kim and myself plus went to school as a full-time student. It was a lot of hard work and long hours, but we had a dream from God and we were doing whatever it took to see it come to pass. As a result, I would apply for different jobs that would best fit our schedule. I’ll never forget one interview I had that was for a maintenance position at a mental hospital. During the interview, I casually made the mistake of telling the gentleman interviewing me that I was a “perfectionist,” thinking it was a good thing. His face immediately glassed over when he heard the word. He abruptly cut the interview short and said with a stern voice, “Son don’t tell me you’re a “perfectionist,” ninety nine percent of the people behind these walls started out as “perfectionists.”

A lot of people believe that the world’s most successful people are all perfectionists. We believe they are born detailed oriented, talented, and driven. We incorrectly assume that they never make mistakes, never fail, and are naturally good at everything they try. This is far from the truth.

New York Times bestselling author, Brene Brown, says it’s the opposite. She says, “There’s a significant difference between perfectionism and healthy striving or striving for excellence. Perfectionism is the belief that if we do things perfectly and look perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgment, and shame.”

What happens with this type of mindset is that it keeps us stuck. We will never step out and try anything new because we are afraid we can’t do it perfectly. We are fearful that if we truly commit and things don’t work out the way we believe they should, its proof we aren’t good enough.

Legendary leaders don’t strive for perfection, they strive for progress. They aren’t afraid of making mistakes or having mishaps because they understand this is how they grow. They swap out a “perfectionist” mindset for a “growth” mindset.

"Perfectionism kills our progress by robbing us of the ugly, necessary reps. The ones we label as failures and ultimately holds us back from unlocking our greatest potential."
— Joshua Medcalf

In a Forbes article from July of 2020, Wendi Wasik gave some great points on how you can switch a perfectionist mindset to a growth mindset:

1. Seek balanced evaluation.
2. Set realistic expectations and standards.
3. Shift the narrative.
4. Change your mindset.
5. Celebrate successes.
6. Give yourself space to make mistakes and learn from them.
7. Steer away from generalized conclusions.
8. Bring your best imperfect self forward.

Recommended Book:

Win in the Dark by Joshua Medcalf

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God is For You,
Pastor Blunt