Are you an ambitious perfectionist?
Some of us don’t even have to contemplate the question, we know the response is “YES!” Others need to think about it.
And another category of folx will initially respond “no” and then review this list and shift to “actually, maybe I am”.
In your words
A few months ago, I had a series of conversations with people working within higher education and in the public service and asked “What does the term ‘ambitious perfectionist’ mean to you?”
The responses were so fun and I present them below:
- We want to be perfect and want to get a lot done.
- A go-getter who wants top-quality work.
- Someone who strives to be the best they can be.
- A personality trait that prevents someone from letting go of their goal.
- Whereas other people would stop at a “reasonable” point, the ambitious perfectionist will keep going, often at their own detriment, to try to achieve their goal.
- High energy, detail-oriented, organized, thorough.
- An intimidating concept, but if enacted with anima/woman energy, can be powerful.
- Can be a bad combination because it doesn’t allow us to make mistakes.
- Someone who wants to get somewhere, wants to do a lot of things, has big goals or dreams, and is holding themselves back through their perfectionism. The mental image: Wheels spinning in the mud.
- There is a tension between the desire to be perfect and the desire to get a lot done: either we’re disappointing ourselves or burning out as we strive to be perfect and go after our goals.
🧡 I warmly thank all the people who volunteered to speak with me and provided the above responses. You know who you are! 🧡
Does this resonate?
If any of the above statements resonate and you want to find out how you can leverage your perfectionism and move forward on what’s important to you, reach out to find out how I can help.