Some people have told me that being a perfectionist will cause me to never be satisfied. I have agreed to disagree with them because I seek fulfillment. To be the best means to do the best you possibly can, reaching your highest potential until there is nowhere left to go. There isn't anything wrong with wanting better and being better. But there is something wrong with being mediocre (someone who does not reach their full potential or fulfillment), and I refuse to be that because I was born a perfectionist.

Being a perfectionist is a blessing and a curse. This is the only characteristic of mine that can make me feel like the best person "for the job," and the worst, all in the same moment. For me, everything is a competition with myself. I am constantly trying to break my own records, soar above my own expectations and standards, and be the best me. Why have less, when you can have more? Why strive to be "good" or even "great," when you can be the best? These questions constantly push me to be critical, analytical, efficient, and at times a bit excessive. In the past, I would think that being a perfectionist was a bad characteristic. It causes me to stress a little more than a 19 year old actually should, and I have even lost "friends" because of it. But I have realized, being a perfectionist is a blessing.

As a perfectionist, I do things with the will to learn and grow. If my motives are not pure, I feel as though I have cheated myself. Being a perfectionist has given me the ability to "love hard" and never regret it. It has taught me to persevere; to use my struggles as stepping stools to my goal instead of letting it hinder me. It has also strengthened my faith in myself and, most importantly, faith in my Savior. Being a perfectionist means that I will not be shaken, no matter the struggle, the deception, the loss, or the pain. And of course, it has given me the chance to be the best!