Be sure you caught pt. 1 of the Perfectionism series. 

Hopefully, by now, you have your perfectionism’s origin story. Now, give it a name.

I know what you are thinking. Once you name things, you might want to keep them. But you’ve kept perfectionism this entire time without a name, so assigning it one now likely won’t make a huge sentimental difference.

What name did you choose? Why?

Find where perfectionism lives in your body. In your head, heart? Left pinky toe?

Okay, now acknowledge and honor it. Appreciate it for what it has provided you up to this point. Thank it for the achievement, lessons, and drive it might’ve offered you. Then, using its name, let it know you are ready for it to no longer play such a prominent role in your life. Tell it that you may call it again in specific situations, but it doesn’t have to be your default operating mode anymore. Let it know that it needs and deserves a break, and you are excited to offer it a vacation. Notice if you get any responses back.

If you aren’t getting any feedback and think this exercise is ridiculous, take a few deep breaths and try again. Maybe you are in between meetings right now, and you’re not in the right heart space to do this. Try again when you are more relaxed and see what comes through.

Note: Notice I said “heart space” and not “headspace.”

Move on to Part 3 of this series.

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