Young People Ask . . How Can I Stop Trying to Be Perfect?

"Perfectionism has basically taken over my life." -Cathy

PERFECTIONISM-the belief that one has to be absolutely perfect in everything he or she does-afflicts the thinking of many youths.  Says the book Perfectionism-What's Bad About Being Too Good?: "There's a big difference between the healthy pursuit of excellence and the unhealthy striving for an impossible ideal. People who strive for excellence may have a strong need  for order and organization and high expectations for themselves, but they accept their own mistakes and have positive ways of coping.  . . .Perfectionists, on the other hand, live in a constant state of anxiety about making errors.  They have extremely high standards." 

Does that describe you? If your standards are impossibly high, you can easily become immobilized. You may find that you avoid doing anything new. Or you may ten to put off doing important things because you are afraid you will fail. You may even feel inclined to reject anyone who fails to meet your standards, and you may find yourself friendless. 

If the above is in any way true of you, consider the Bible's words at Ecclesiastes 7:16: "Do not become righteous overmuch, nor show yourself excessively wise.  Why should you cause a desolation to yourself?"   Yes, a perfectionist has even been linked to such life-threatening eating disorders  as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. 

'How can I stop trying to be perfect?" Admittedly, changing one's thinking in this regard can be challenging.  But with God's help, it can be done. Let us therefore look at God's view of perfectionism. 

Next time: Young People Ask . .How Can I Stop Trying to Be Perfect? -Perfection-An Attainable Goal? 

From the Awake! magazine, 2003