Are you a perfectionist?

I am, but only for certain things. I don’t know if there is a theme or pattern to it, perhaps there is when it comes to creativity, but for the most part I think it is random.

Some times, I will do a bad job, or just leave something as “that is good enough for now”, yet with other things I will get very bogged down in details, and won’t leave it alone until it is finished.

With some things, like art, that is when I really become a perfectionist, I think it has to do with my lack of talent. If I paint something or draw something, I can guarantee I will never consider it to be finished or good enough. I will start with a black and white outline, then color it in like a cartoon, and it will look good. However, then I will try to add some shadow, and it will look better, and before you know it, I am not happy until I have drawn every single hair, freckle and grain of sand separately.

It probably, thinking on it more, has something to do with how much passion or will there is to do something. It is very rare that I start doing something I don’t want to do, and then get all perfectionist about it. Usually I will be more of a perfectionist on things that I actually want to do, or am passionate about.

I have been learning how to solve the Rubik’s Cube lately, and while I can now solve it, and solve it quite fast, I still have not shown or told anyone, because I can’t get it under 15 seconds yet. I mention it, because it is the latest thing I have become a perfectionist over.

Another, is stamp collecting. I have recently got back in to it, about two or tree weeks ago. I am quite capable of spending 20 minutes trying to peel a used stamp from paper, knowing fully well it is only worth a half a penny.

@poisonedantidote : That was answered extremely well, and I can’t add to that! You’re truly amazing.

@KeepYourEyesWideOpen Thanks. I always secretly knew I was amazing, lol

Yes, except in one area – my car. I allow that to be my I-just-don’t-give-a-shit zone.

But I am meticulous in everything else.

In my younger years I tried to perfect my ability to control everything about my life, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve gone a long way—thankfully—toward giving up that impossible dream.

Due to my frugal upbringing, I used to be a perfectionist about my possessions. I wanted a fine piece of woodworking or the paint job on my car to be flawless. If they received a nearly imperceptible ding that no one could see but me, I would be miserable. What a waste of time, money, and effort that period of my life was! Fortunately, I outgrew it.

Yes to a degree, but not near as bad as I was before I got married nine years ago today. I kept hearing myself griping about socks not in the hamper and water on the sink, and horrified myself. :)

I used to be, thank goodness I worked through and past that. It is really an internal insecurity.

I’m not as bad as I used to be, and that has had positive effects on my mental health. I still try to be proud of my work at all times, but I don’t go overboard anymore. I realized I can still get good grades with less effort.

Yes, and it’s a pain in the ass. I am trying to work on it. Usually, it prevents me from trying new things because unless I feel capable of doing something perfectly, then I won’t try (cooking was something very hard to get into as a result.) The main area this sticks to is with academics. I spent two hours on a paragraph once. Two hours. Do you know else I could have done in that time?

@muppetish; Well, if you were Balzac, you could have written one perfect sentence.