Welcome to Season 3 of the Next Peak Podcast, where we help you redefine what success looks like and share strategies that will help you climb your next peak. 

Today Dr. Parker joins Clint to discuss the dark side of perfectionism. 

Having high standards is important, but it's equally if not more important to be aware of how your perfectionism harms yourself and others, steals your happiness, causes you to compare, and how perfectionists tend to live out of an internal state of fear and tension. 

Everyone is a perfectionist to a degree. Some people are aware and have strategies to deal with it, and others react to the damage they have caused. Today's episode will help prevent the latter and give you some tools and strategies to overcome perfectionism's dark side. 

The Problem:

1. Perfectionists procrastinate, waiting for something to be perfect
2. It's hard to enjoy victories when you're a perfectionist, you're still looking for the things you did wrong 
3. Perfectionists can put impossible standards on themselves and others
4. Perfectionists can begin developing performance-based standards for relationships
5. Perfectionism is driven by fear
6. Perfectionism causes a lack of contentment
7. Perfectionism is responsible for an internal state of unease and tension that manifests in various physical issues
8. Perfection leads to judgment and/or comparison 
9. Perfectionism destroys happiness

The Solution: 

1. Go for good enough
2. Recount two wins per night
3. Try to do something messy
4. Limit your upgrades
5. Enjoy what you have
6. Know what situations in life are worth deliberating on
7. Give away some control
8. Get about 80% of your plan together and then launch

Resources Mentioned: 

The Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwartz - TED talk