"I was on stage at the New York Comedy Club, about to deliver my first five-minute stand-up set in America. I'd memorized and rehearsed and memorized every word. After I delivered my first joke, my mind went completely blank. Nothing. For 30 excruciating seconds, I stood frozen like a deer in headlights. When I looked down at my palm for my SOS backup notes, all I saw was a giant smudge mark. My nervous, sweaty hands totally smeared the ink."
"And while that was a breakthrough moment for me, I'd realized just how much perfectionism had shaped me leading up to that moment. That experience taught me that perfectionism isn't protection at all. Far from it. It's actually a trap. We think we're safe when we've mapped everything out, but it's actually the opposite. If we forget one tiny point, everything unravels quickly. Research distinguishes between excellence-seeking perfectionism (driven by high standards) and failure-avoiding perfectionism (driven by fear and concerns)."
An employee's perception of authentic leadership is the strongest predictor of job satisfaction and workplace happiness. A supervisor saying "I trust you" shifted a journalist from seeking approval to trusting personal judgment and independence. Perfectionism can feel protective but functions as a trap that amplifies fear and rumination after mistakes. A public-speaking freeze illustrated how meticulous rehearsal can collapse under pressure and lead to long-term replaying of failure. Research distinguishes excellence-seeking perfectionism, driven by high standards, from failure-avoiding perfectionism, driven by fear and concerns, which shape different responses to errors and autonomy.
Read at Fast Company
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