Droppin’ Jewels on the Perfection Trap
- Perfection is a moving target that holds us back from living.
- Perfectionism is linked to higher anxiety, depression, and burnout.
- Excellence focuses on growth, while perfectionism delays progress.
Every day at 5:26 PM, I step into my Droppin’ Jewels feature with one goal: say something real that can help somebody live better, think clearer, and move with more purpose. On my weekly Truth Tuesday edition, I recently tackled a lie that keeps too many of us stuck: the belief that we need to be 100% perfect before we start living.
I know that lie well. It tells you to wait until your money is right, your body is right, your plan is tight, and your confidence is unshakable. It whispers that one more fix, one more class, one more delay will finally make you ready. But the truth is simple: perfection is a moving target. If you wait for flawless, you may never begin.
Research backs that up. Studies have found that perfectionism has risen sharply over the past few decades, especially as social pressure and comparison have grown. The American Psychological Association has also linked perfectionist thinking with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and burnout. That matters because what looks like “high standards” on the outside often feels like fear on the inside. And fear has a way of dressing itself up as preparation.
On Truth Tuesday, I shared that some of us are not chasing excellence. We are hiding in perfectionism. There’s a difference. Excellence says, “Do your best and keep growing.” Perfectionism says, “Don’t move until you can’t be criticized.” One builds a life. The other delays it.
I’ve learned that living starts in the unfinished stage. You start the business before you know every answer. You heal before every wound is closed. You love yourself before every flaw is gone. Progress has always been more faithful than perfection.
Money Magazine style is about results, habits, and smart mindset shifts, and this is one of the biggest shifts we can make. When perfectionism runs your life, it can cost you opportunities, peace, creativity, and even income. People miss promotions, delay launches, and stay silent in rooms they were born to speak in because they think they need one more layer of polish.
My jewel is this: your life does not begin when you become perfect. Your life begins when you become willing. Willing to try. Willing to grow. Willing to be seen as a work in progress.
That’s the message I’m standing on at 5:26 PM and every Truth Tuesday: don’t wait to be flawless. Start living now.
