Perfectionist: a person who refuses to accept any standard short of perfection.
People tend to think that being a perfectionist is a good thing. They think that if you refuse anything less than perfect, it just means that you have unusually high standards for yourself. They think that those expectations will motivate you to work harder for what you want. What they don't realize is that you have those same expectations for others as well, and that's not fair. If you too are a perfectionist, you know that it's not all that great.
As a perfectionist, I get called a control freak, type A, and at times, very bossy. Don't get me wrong, I am all of these things. I know that better than anyone. So, on behalf of all the other perfectionists - the "mom" of your friend group or the girl who can tell when a line wasn't written with a ruler: sorry.
Due to my perfectionist personality, I struggle to work on group projects. I constantly have the urge to take over and do things the way I believe is right. My obsession with perfection, combined with my stubbornness, turns me into a dictator when it comes to group projects. You know that person who tries to take over the whole project? Yep, that would be me. Sorry to everyone who has ever worked with me on a project.
Now, I think it is time to apologize to my friends. I am notorious for my need for a plan. Here is how a typical conversation in my group chat goes: My friend will ask "What are we doing tonight?" - everyone answers with rather ambiguous replies like "I don't know yet" or "We'll figure something out". I can go along with that for a while, but as the hours tick by, I start to get anxious. I know my friends and I will figure it out. But, I still feel the need for a plan. So, the group chat is flooded with my texts like: "GUYS, WHAT ARE WE DOING?!" or "CAN WE DECIDE ALREADY PLEASE?". I know that we don't need to decide everything. But, I always need a plan - I hate the unknown, and without the plan, that is what my night will be. So, sorry friends, you're stuck with me and my anxious texts.
Not only do my friends get my anxious texts, but anyone who knows me knows that I use a ruler to draw anything, I never write in pen first, and I color-coordinate my agenda. Anything I write: cards, posters, or even my study guides, are made with a ruler. This means that when I make something, it takes about 2 or 3 times the amount of time it does for any other person. Yes, I have probably wasted about a third of my life making perfectly straight lines and starting over when my bubble letter "a" looks weird. At least my school posters always look good. That's all that really matters, right?
Reality is, I probably will be a perfectionist forever. But, I like my straight lines and I like the green pen I use for writing down test dates in my agenda. So, I am a control freak, type A, and very, very bossy. But hey, there's nothing perfect about being a perfectionist. That's one imperfection I'll accept.
