Perfectionism is not a pathology

I believe that our creativity grows like sidewalk weeds out of the cracks between our pathologies—not from the pathologies themselves. But so many people think it’s the other way around. For this reason, you will often meet artists who deliberately cling to their suffering, their addictions, their fears, their demons. They worry that if they ever

Olympic champions, scientific breakthroughs, great works of art are all products of the perfectionistic personality gone right.

stage 1: try to defeat perfectionism thru sheer force of will

stage 2: try to heal perfectionism by doing a bunch of therapeutic inner child shit (also psychedelics)

stage 3: fully accept perfectionism, relate to it healthily, and watch it become a source of unimaginable power

Adler (1973) regarded perfectionism as an indispensable part of life, a striving to rise above feelings of dependency and helplessness. Understanding one’s personal power, for Adler, involved maximizing one’s abilities and using them for the good of society. Maslow (1971) equated the full realization of one’s potential with the absence of neurosis.

If there is such a thing as human perfection, it seems to emerge precisely from how we handle the imperfection that is everywhere, especially our own. – Richard Rohr

Trying to get rid of your perfectionism is like trying to get rid of the wind by whacking it with a broom. Perfectionism is too powerful for an eradication approach. When you try to get rid of your perfectionism, all you’re doing is hemorrhaging energy at the opportunity cost of attending to your wellness.

Perfectionism is the most noteworthy personality characteristic associated with giftedness.