Are you a perfectionist? Do you need everything you do to be flawless? Do you expect others to have the same attention to detail as you? If so, you may actually be doing more harm than good, and holding yourself back from achieving what you want.

How do you react when a friend doesn't turn up for your party, or you slightly over-cook your pasta, or you only get 90 per cent on your test when you know you are capable of 100 per cent? Perfectionists can let little things like this have a profound effect on their mood.

Michelangelo was a renowned perfectionist, and produced some of the most magnificent works of art in history. But by all accounts, he was pretty miserable. His constant search for perfect representations of the human form took over his life, to the detriment of his happiness.

Studies have shown that pathological perfectionists are more prone to stress-related illnesses than others. Because true perfection is a very rare thing, perfectionists can get frustrated, and end up never being satisfied with anything.

If you are never satisfied, you end up doing one of two things: not even starting on a task or project, or spending so much time on it that other important aspects of your life suffer as a result.

Are you letting your fear of imperfection stop you from getting what you want? Don't think "If I can't do this perfectly, I'm not going to start", but rather "I'm going to do the best I can, and it's going to be great".

Are you spending too much time and energy on one thing to make sure it will be perfect, to the detriment of your other priorities? Learn to change your mindset so that you accept and even expect things not to go perfectly.This is not an excuse to not work hard or try your best, but it will help you to not get so upset when things go wrong.

Life isn't meant to be perfect. Your best-laid plans will be disrupted, you will encounter obstacles along the way, and things will come out of the blue when you least expect them. The trick is to accept it, find ways to deal with it and get back on track.

If you want to achieve something, the most important thing is not that it should be perfect, but that you should take action toward achieving it.

If you live in Auckland, and would like to find out about personal coaching, visit www.eclipselifecoaching.com or call Kris on (09) 629 6080.
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