Are you an athlete who doesn’t like mistakes, needs everything to be perfect, and is hyper-focused on outcomes like stats and scores? If this is you, you might struggle with perfectionism. 

But don’t worry, you’re in good company. Almost every girl athlete struggles with perfectionism on some level! In today’s episode, we’re talking about how perfectionism holds you back from achieving your goals, and how to move past it. 

How to Know If You’re Dealing With Perfectionism

• If you make a mistake, it really throws off your game and your mood.
• You’re super focused on wins and losses, your stats, scores, percentages, etc. 
• If you don’t play perfectly, you feel like a failure.
• You’re constantly worried about what others think.

Most athletes struggle with perfectionism because the drive to be “perfect” actually exists to help us in a lot of ways. Striving to be perfect can motivate you, give you high standards for yourself, and drive you to be a better athlete. 

But it’s the negative parts of perfectionism that we want to change. The bad side of perfectionism comes in the form of negative self-talk, feeling terrible about yourself, and being in a really bad mood after a mistake. In the long term, the negative side of perfectionism will hurt your performance and hold you back from your goals.

Don’t Be Scared to Make Mistakes

In the process of learning, it’s actually required that you make mistakes. Therefore, perfectionism is in conflict with you trying to achieve your goals.

The athletes that go the furthest and do the most aren’t perfect athletes. Instead, they’re the athletes that go outside their comfort zone, make mistakes, and see their mistakes as learning opportunities. It’s a requirement to make mistakes in the process of learning, because we learn so much from the mistakes we make.

How to Overcome Perfectionism

Perfectionism is not all of you, but instead, it’s only one part of you.

We experience the drive to be “perfect” in some situations more than others. Think of perfectionism as a little “voice” inside your head. Ask yourself, when is this voice the loudest?

Homework:

• Think of all the moments you experience where the voice of perfectionism inside your head is the loudest. Is it when you’re training? Competing? After the game? Specifically identify when you hear the voice the most.
• In those moments, think about this voice being a person inside of you, and practice telling them, “I see you, thank you for being here to help me, but you can quiet down now. I’ve got this.”

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Helpful Links:

• Visit our podcast website for more on this episode.
• Join our FREE Training for Sports Moms - How to Strengthen Your Athlete Daughter’s Mental Game so She Believes in Herself as Much as You Do

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