Have you ever described yourself as a perfectionist?
That may sound like a good thing, but in reality, perfectionism can work similar to procrastination, and waiting for the perfect scenario can prevent you from getting the recognition or success you deserve. may become impossible.
In her book, Stop Waiting for Perfection: Step Out of Your Comfort Zone and into Your Power, L’Oréal Thompson Payton writes that if your pursuit of perfection is holding you back from reaching your potential, get out of your own way. He says the time has come.
Peyton says she’s always been a perfectionist, but when she stopped logging 685 consecutive days of Peloton workouts, she really realized it was a trend that could cause problems. He said it was only recently.
“Everything fell apart, and I was like, oh my god, who am I without this storyline?” Peyton said. “Thanks to therapy, I realized that you still have value, that you are still a good person, that you are still worthy of love and respect and all these good things. It’s like I don’t have to tie it to the streak, these goals and everything I’ve worked for my whole life.”
Peyton said she felt she had to write a book aimed at young black women like herself because her particular perspective wasn’t reflected in the self-help genre.
“I think of Toni Morrison’s words. She said, ‘If there’s a book you want to read that hasn’t been written yet, you should write it.’ And I really took that to heart. ” Payton said. “I just wanted to write the book I needed as a person who struggles with perfectionism, impostor syndrome, and self-doubt. … So I thought, what can I do? What can I offer as this love letter? A virtual hug or a pocket-sized pep talk can help you overcome these challenges and let you know that you’re valuable even if you’re not perfect.”
Peyton also gave birth to her first child while writing this book, an experience that reinforced the idea that perfectionism can be counterproductive.
“I quickly learned that perfectionism and parenting don’t go together, like the two don’t belong at all. So it was really hard to let go of plans and sometimes even be on time. ” she said. “I’m just trying to figure it out right now. Especially in the morning when my toddler comes out the door, it’s just like, ‘Okay, girl, you need to calm down, sit down and breathe.’ This is okay. It’s not the end of the world. And that’s also what I want to model for her, because that’s what I think generationally, we’re doing everything we can to be twice as good. Because I’ve been taught and conditioned over and over again. And I want my daughter to travel the world and be this carefree black girl. So I tell her to be kind to herself. We have to teach them how to do it and how to show compassion for themselves.”
“Stop waiting for perfection: Step out of your comfort zone and take back your power.”
