Amy seems like a self-confident girl. She runs a business from home, and raises her young son on her own. Though she dates and spends time with friends, she makes sure her sitters are skilled and she isn’t gone too late. From an outward perspective, Amy looks as though she’s got her ducks in a row. Anyone who talks to her for long gets a very different impression.

Why?

Perfectionism. Amy takes note of her positives, but has a hard time seeing acknowledging where she could improve. She avoids possibilities to avoid failures. It’s a habit which is having a serious effect on her quality of life, her son’s life, and her small business.

For more than a year, Amy has been discussion a distribution deal with two national buyers. Because she cannot fathom failure, she conveniently avoids setting these meetings up. She cannot improve her life, and consequently is stuck feeling unsuccessful.

Instead of being down on herself, she notes her abilities and avoids the rest. For someone like Amy the tiniest baby steps imaginable are needed in the directions she needs to go. Perfectionists excel at many areas of their lives. It’s the ones they don’t pay attention to that are the struggle.

What Do You Want?

Even perfectionists have dreams. Amy wants to own a home with a fenced-in yard her son can play in. In order to do that, she’ll need to sell much more or qualify for a mortgage. Unfortunately her ex-husband ruined her credit just before he took off.

It’s easy for her to say, “My business is already great, and my credit isn’t my fault. I can’t improve my situation.” This is where Amy needs to use her dreams to fuel her motivation … and boost her self-confidence.

Risking failure for a dream, particularly one that benefits those around you, is a worthy quest for any perfectionist. Making the decision to take on the challenge already lends them self-confidence.

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