3 Lies Perfectionists Tell Themselves

Many people are perfectionists. You may be one as well. I will write more about the different types of perfectionists in another email, but I wanted to focus on one thing today… the lies that perfectionists tell themselves.

An unhealthy perfectionist usually will tell him or herself a storyline that is false, but through repetition, they will ingrain this into their minds.

Lie #1: “People will think less of me if I make mistakes…”

Newsflash: mistakes go hand-in-hand with high levels of performance. As a matter of fact, you cannot reach new levels of performance without making several mistakes along the way.

Mistakes are one of the largest pools that you can draw from when it comes to learning. Mistakes are not permanent. Mistakes are part of the process.

Lie #2: “I have to do well at all times so that people will respect me…”

I see this a lot; especially with professional athletes. College athletics is so cut-throat now that you see this behavior at major colleges and even within the high school ranks. Social media has made it 10x’s worse.

As an athlete, you live your life in a fishbowl. Everybody is interested in what you’re doing, what you’re wearing, what you’re eating, and who you’re hanging out with. It’s weird, crazy, and wild at the same time!

At the end of the day, you are not going to do well at all times. It is impossible. The only one perfect is Jesus. We need to get over this lie.

Lie #3: “If it’s not perfect, it’s not good enough…”

The truth about perfection is that every now and then, people achieve it. Some never will reach perfection in their sport. But one thing that is certain…we can choose to be excellent every day.

You Can Be Excellent:

• In the way that we show up

• In the way that we treat people.

• In the way that we treat our bodies.

• In the way that we respond to stressful situations.

• In the way that we watch film.

• In the way that we train.

• In the way that we study.

• In the way that we recover.

• In our choice of words.

• In the way that we think.

… and the list goes on.

Excellence is a lifestyle. Train hard. Trust God. Although we may never reach perfection in our sport, we can be excellent every single day.

Your friend,

Josiah Igono