POTW: Perfection

[Diana]

A lot of us have New Years resolutions, and most of us have probably failed ours by now. >>;; Either by forgetting, laziness, or making really impossible expectations on ourselves.

Perfection and trying to do things perfect is a MUSE KILLER. Whether you are trying to keep a tidy house or writing up a long-winded roleplay post or if you are drawing a pretty picture. We spend so much time trying to get every little detail just right, that when we see the finished product all we can think about is what wrong with it. And then it gives us a self-esteem complex because we don't believe it's good enough, our best, or that dirty dirty word... perfect.


SO CAST OFF THAT NEED TO DO EVERYTHING PERFECT! Spare your battered and abused muse! Take pride in what you have accomplished. 8D


Do YOU struggle with perfectionism? What is something that you spend too much time trying to get perfect, and in the end always feel bad about?

 

[Elflady]

Well I'm actually a bit of both, despite both my mother and grandmother being perfectionists I'm more inclined to let things lay around, I'm jsut gonna use them again so why botherxD But when it comes to my computer for example I'm very picky and everything on it is perfectly sorted and named, I can also move things around on shelves in stores if they are in a mess, though I have stopped with that a lot recently. So when I feel like it I can be quite a perfectionist about what I do but most of the time I'm more laid back and don't mind things being out of place.

 

[Parson]

I have a perfectionism complex when it comes to certain subjects. Mathematics takes the gold in this. I'm getting better as I'm learning to not attempt problems I know I can't do... But if I do tackle a problem, I feel sorry for Drew. I'm all absorbed. I don't talk except for breaks. I work and work and work and work... I won't stop until I get 'the answer' or until I feel like it's completed (usually ending with a proof). Sometimes I won't sleep... I'll drink coffee (something I rarely do -- tea all the way!) just to stay up for a few days to work out the equations and Mathematica programs. It has to be perfect.

Other subjects that are runner ups include my erotica stories, short stories, and poetry. With these, since they're writing based, I just proof read the hell out of it and make revision upon revision upon revision. Very rarely do I have a piece that I genuinely feel proud of when it comes to my writings. I get compliments regardless, but like you (Diana) said: I/we just see what's wrong with it.

Beyond the academic and writing realms, nothing really causes the perfectionism to really creep up. I get upset when something I cook doesn't turn out, but that's not perfectionism. Cycling, I already know I'm not the best and it's definitely something that takes time. -shrugs-

 

[Ochalla]

I'm less like this in my daily life or my writing, since I never was good at grammar or spelling in school. (I am proud of my post education improvements however). Where I get a streak of perfectionism is at work. I'm a bit of an organization freak. After all if everything is in its proper space and done in its proper order mistakes won't happen. RIGHT?

 

[October Knight]

Ok, first off. What are British underwear? I'm gonna need a description > <

I answered that I am perfect, we all are! Since each human on earth is one of a kind, we are all the most perfect 'us' we could possibly be!

 

[Dead Romeo]

I picked choice 3: I accept what I do and what I can't do. There is an exception when I know I can do better, then it might cross-over into perfectionism.

 

[Fluffy]

I've always considered my perfectionism to be a personality flaw of mine. It brings out one of my inner demons, that demon being an angry juvenile of some kind. v__v If I cannot do it the way I pictured it, I just won't do it. I'll even insist that the imperfect project be thrown away. Like, if I make a really tasty sounding meal... If it's even a little undercooked, or even LOOKS ugly... I'll just want to put it in the trash. If I so much as close a door the wrong way (like, slamming it on accident, keeping it slightly open, or closing it on my finger) I will get really pissed and punch the door. Any inanimate object that works against my wishes just gets beat up...

So, yeah. This would be why no one sees me posting in roleplays, either. I have no inspiration to write lately, so I fear that my posts would be too imperfect for me to submit. Therefore, I just don't write until I get that spark back. xD Not saying my writing is perfection and the epitome of beauty, 'cause it ain't... We all have our own ideas of a 'perfect' post, I think.

There is good to this obsession of mine, though! It's helped me develop a love for cleaning, for example. If no one else will clean, I most certainly will just so my sanity is kept stable. There are times when people never have to do chores because of that. ^^; I'd be a great housekeeper. And, things are always always organized from clothes to garbage. I actually discovered that organizing things is HAWT~ When I'm filing something, writing in my planner, straightening up books--just, organizing data in general--it's sexy to me. >>; I really hope Peter gets me a filing cabinet for Valentine's Day or my birthday, mmm yeah...

 

[Clear]

I am a perfectionist, but it's more of a problem than a complex. If I reread over month-old posts I'll edit them anyways if I detect a grammatical error. Does anyone else have that problem? No, okay. ;-;

 

[Vay]

What does it matter, what does any of it matter?

We write for an uncaring audience, the few who do read say nothing, their opinions black black and white replies on a screen that impart nothing.

What we do in life we can pour our hearts and souls into what we do, write, work, paint, create but in the end someone, somewhere will look down at you. You can bend over backwards for someone and yet in their blindness they'll call you insufficient. Everything we do is an echo in the void, unheard, unmissed in it's passing.

 

[E-Claire]

I'm a perfectionist, AND IT'S PAINFUL! Seeing all those wobbly lines...*sniff*...and my law damn pride. If ONE thing goes wrong I restart, so some things take forever. At least I'm keeping my resolution though!

 

[Blind Hemingway]

I like to pretend I am Rory and prance around the forums in Victorian outerwear as I write spam and terrorize the members Dianas!

 

[LovableChaos]

My perfectionism is my downfall. :c It's part of the reason a lot of my roleplays go inactive. It's hard for me to look past my mistakes long enough to write something...
This is also the reason why i haven't turned in my English essay. >.>
Maybe i should get a mentor... :3

 

[Minibit]

Just some things need to be perfect. Other things, so long as it works. Example:

My bookshelves; all spine-out, covers to the right, organized by genre. Must be PERFECT (so I can find things quickly and so they look nice)

My cooking: Maybe it's cause when I was a kid we had to clean our plates whether we liked the food or not, but I'm not one of those people who will refuse to eat something just cause it's a little too salty or something. If my cooking is safe for human consumption, and you can swallow without gagging - good e-freagin-nuff.

 

[Villamvihar]

Unfortunately, yes, for me, most things need to be done in the "proper" way. That does not mean that they need to be absolutely perfect, but I cannot be statisfied with a sloppy job and I sometimes hate myself for that. I also dislike it when I am being lazy, which, for some reasons, tends to happen more often than it should.

 

[QuoryRay]

My perfectionism lies with my drawings. I'll restart over twenty times(Literally) just to get the basic outline down. Sometimes I get so frustrated at not getting the image I want that I altogether give up. Also, shading drives me mad. I'll spend hours drawing a picture, but until every last detail is shaded perfectly, I won't like it.. I hate trying to get White White areas with grey or darker around it..So hard..

In the end if I end up keeping the picture it's generally worth it.

 

[Summer Rain]

I am a huge perfectionist, unfortunately. I am terrified of failure and actually have panic attacks over it. I already also have some minor OCD, although it's not the typical "washing my hands" type. I've always been the 95%, top of my class, good at my job type of girl. I've been kicked in the butt by a few things before (including nursing, which I went into and hated) and it really got to me. I've been working on it... it makes life hard, although it also has helped me to become successful.