By Adreanna

There are so many downsides to being a perfectionist that most of the time, people just use the word to describe someone who’s a bit too obsessed with getting everything just right. But you know what? Today, I’m not gonna dwell on the negative. Instead, I wanna take a moment to appreciate the good things about being a perfectionist.

Things like:

• Being great at managing time effectively
• Attention to detail
• Tough as nails
• Solution oriented
• Loyal
• Self aware
• Creative

Lets explore some of the ways my perfectionism serves me.

Great with time management

I’m the queen of scheduling! It makes me so proud to know that I can handle a calendar like a pro. Deadlines are what get me out of bed in the mornings. Besides my stack of journals and planners, I also hoard and use the calendars on all my devices. If there’s a way to schedule and plan for maximum efficiency, you can bet I’ll do it. One of my favorite things is to brain dump and strategize.

Every morning, after making coffee and tidying up, I sit down for 30 minutes to brain dump all the activities I want to get done for the day. There’s even a big calendar on my bedroom wall that’s the first thing I see when I wake up, and it helps me stay on track.

Once I’ve done my brain dump, it’s time to schedule it all. During my scheduling process, I try to think about all the obstacles and steps needed to complete each task, and I schedule focused time for each one.

Most days, I have every minute planned out. Some people might think I’m being neurotic, but for me, it’s a way to manage my anxiety about being unprepared. A goal without a plan is a plan destined to fail. At least, that’s how I see it. Being able to map out my days, weeks, and sometimes months also helps keep the self-judgment at bay on days when I decide to practice self-care. I don’t have to sit and beat myself up for taking a day off when I can just look back at my planners and calendars to see what I’ve already accomplished.

My time management skills help me stay calm, clear headed, and less anxious about practicing self care and taking days to myself to recharge.

Attention to detail

Now, if you ask my girlfriend, she’d tell you I totally suck at paying attention to everyday details. I’ll fess up, when it comes to everyday stuff, I’m not the greatest at being detail-oriented. I might not be awesome at keeping the floors sparkling clean or making sure there’s zero dust in the vents around the crib. But let me tell ya, when it’s about picking up on the little things in a situation, reading a room or a person, and making decisions, I’m your guy.

Pattern recognition is like my superpower. I’m always scanning and analyzing stuff to the point that when something’s off, it’s as plain as day to me. My heightened attention to detail has bailed me out too many times, like when choosing a credit card, picking restaurants, making reservations, signing up for services, and even buying everyday items. I notice and read the fine print, look through restaurant websites and nab the hidden fees that will jack up my bill, and I catch when something’s different about people’s vibes just from the way they stroll into a room sometimes.

My ability to read people has been way more useful to me than any traditional education in most cases, especially when I worked in corporate settings. Often, the key to getting what you need from upper management was all about feeling the vibe and picking the perfect time to suggest changes, ask for support, or gain approvals.

Attention to detail really helps me out because it makes me feel more confident when I need to make decisions, whether they’re big or small. It also means I won’t waste time overthinking things, and I can just live in the moment when I push myself out of my comfort zone.

Tough as nails

I’m the kind of woman who can take a hit and keep on going. Things tend to go south from time to time, but hey, I embrace the imperfections of life. I know that to achieve anything, you gotta be ready to go the distance. I’m resilient. I always try to find alternative solutions to unexpected obstacles instead of freaking out at the first sign of trouble. I’ve learned to accept that every adversity is an opportunity waiting to be explored, so I often welcome failure. I embrace fear. I’m cool with the unknown most of the time. Because even though these uncomfortable feelings can be tough, I know they carry valuable information. To me, every obstacle and inconvenience offers a chance to see things from a different perspective or to try something new. It’s a nudge out of your comfort zone and gets you ready for the next time it shows up.

My resilience helps me feel the fear and do it anyway. I’ve got this mantra I borrowed from “The Hangover” where I ask myself and those around me, “But did you die?” So far, the answer has always been “No.” So as long as the answer to that question is no, I’m going to keep at it.

Solution Oriented

Another thing that I often ask myself is, “Alright, but what else can you do?” I’m all about solving problems, it’s just part of who I am. When my friends need advice on how to tackle a tough situation, they come to me. I love asking questions, I do it a lot. I truly believe that people, myself included, have more power than they realize, and that they can control their circumstances more than they think. I’m good at helping others because I’m always doing it for myself.

Whenever I encounter obstacles or face rejection, I take a step back, assess the situation, and figure out a new approach to overcome the challenges. I view every “no” as an opportunity to be better prepared for the next “yes.” I don’t dwell on why things went wrong because I’ve learned that it doesn’t help. Instead, I focus on finding solutions by understanding what went wrong and figuring out how to fix it in a sustainable way.

As a perfectionist, I know that nothing’s ever perfect, so I’ve learned to focus on finding solutions. It’s the best way for me to manage my expectations and be ready to face challenges with a positive attitude and determination.

Loyal

I’m super loyal, almost to a fault. Once I set my sights on a goal, get all the details sorted, and jump in, I’m all in. This goes for my friendships, relationships, and everything else in my life. I really believe in putting in the work and staying laser-focused until I get where I want to be. My loyalty really shows in my personal relationships; I’m always ready to tackle any challenges that come our way. It’s not about blind loyalty, but about working together toward our goals. I’m dead set on succeeding and standing strong in the face of any obstacles. It’s all about embracing acceptance and confidence.

Being super picky about my relationships really helps me keep my eyes on the prize. I don’t ditch people for making mistakes. I’m all about teaming up and making sure we’re all enjoying ourselves. But when the fun’s gone, I’m cool with moving on.

Self Aware

I’m like my own walking case study.

Being so self-aware has actually made me more empathetic and better at setting boundaries. Since I know myself so well, I can set goals, make decisions, stay loyal when things get tough, and play to my strengths. I’m also not afraid to ask for help when I need it. People see me as someone who’s conscious, genuine, kind, insightful, wise, and supportive because I’m always thinking about how my actions affect both myself and others.

Knowing myself helps me steer clear of situations that could mess with my mental and physical well-being. I really don’t like going to doctors who don’t take the time to understand what I’m going through before handing out prescriptions, so I prefer seeking out alternative treatments and being mindful of what I consume. This way, when I do need medical help, I’m in a better position to communicate my needs and work with the healthcare team to find the right solutions.

When it comes to my mental health, being so self-aware means I know what sets me off and how much I can handle before things get too much. Some people might see it as avoiding things, but I just see it as knowing what’s good for me and being confident in saying no when I need to.

Perfectionism about how I come across and my social impact helps me keep it real with others. I always strive to perfect my interactions, simply because I don’t want to hurt anyone with my actions and words. So, yeah, I might go over the whole night in my head after going out, looking for any slip-ups, but that’s just because I genuinely want to avoid creating negative experiences for others, as long as it doesn’t mean ignoring my own boundaries.

Creative

“Well… I don’t know, but let’s figure it out! That’s a saying I use a lot. I’m curious, creative, and love finding solutions. Give me some random items, and I’ll figure out a way to make them work together. I’m not afraid to push boundaries and explore new territory to solve problems, even if it means making a mess at first. I’m also super nosy. When it comes to work, I often find myself poking around in parts of programs and documents I probably shouldn’t be in, all in search of a solution I’m not even sure exists.” But to me kits worth it if i can find that one setting, or function, that can elevate my work and the work of the team. Finding creative solutions to shared problems makes me excited because i am all for efficiency!

The little perfectionist living in my brain just won’t rest until it uncovers what it deems the most efficient, productive, and sustainable way to tackle a problem. With that lovable gremlin in charge, who knows where my quest for solutions will lead me. Hey, I’m still alive, so I guess I’ll take this talent as a win!

Conclusion

Sure! Being a perfectionist has its downsides, but that’s not the only way to look at its impact on your life. Being perfectionistic has many strengths, more than I’ve mentioned here, and they all work together to make us better versions of ourselves. I don’t believe that being labeled a perfectionist is an overall bad thing. The key for me has been not to try to change myself or disassociate myself from the label, but to instead find and work with the strengths of the characterization to keep me optimistic and open to new ways of thinking about and processing life.

Have you been labeled a perfectionist? I’d love to hear about how you’ve transformed the negative implications of being a perfectionist into positive sources of empowerment and self acceptance.

Until next time!