That’s not good enough. If you’re a perfectionist, this is probably a thought which has crossed your mind so many times that it no longer occurs to you to think it. While we might be a little crazy, we are extremely hard-working individuals who are slightly misunderstood. So, for every student at SNU who isn’t a perfectionist, here is a list of characteristics you’ll find in your perfectionist peers:
- We are determined to turn everything in. We’re the ones who get made fun of for being a “teacher’s pet” because we turn in all assignments. In fact, we feel ashamed or anxious when we aren’t prepared for a class the way we should be.
- We must get As. If we are in school, grades are everything. Our hearts sink when we receive our grades and they aren’t all As. In fact, we fret over a low A or A-.
- We love to be in control. This is especially true for group projects. We’d just rather do the work ourselves. Being able to control when things are done and how they are done is the reason why we like this, not always because the other people can’t sufficiently do their part of the project.
- Everything must be organized. This statement doesn’t necessarily mean we are neat or clean freaks. All we really want is our surrounding space to have things put in their proper places. If things are organized, we are calmer.
- We generally don’t do things halfway. If something we do is not up to our usual standards, we will attempt to fix it until it’s the way we like it. Otherwise, it will bother us that we didn’t do something to the best of our ability.
- We hate to be proven wrong. We don’t accept the fact that we are humans, and we make mistakes. Our goal is to be perfect, so when we don’t give the right answer to something, we’re embarrassed.
- We get obsessed about the little things. Sometimes we tend to be somewhat OCD. We will need our clothes organized by color or our DVD collection alphabetized. Again, it’s a control thing.
- We have to know the plan for the day ahead of the time. Spontaneous events are stressful for the perfectionist. Our goals for the day get ruined, and then we can’t achieve the things we wanted to accomplish to our higher standards without cutting into something vital, like sleep. So, always tell us what’s going on at least a day in advance.
Like any other trait in people, perfectionism manifests itself in different ways for each person. While somebody might have all eight characteristics I listed above, another will only have two or three. What’s important to remember is that perfectionists are normal people with a need for a structured life.
[author image=”https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=0BzUPfa-vNtHwN2RXSGN1NDRxYjA&authuser=0&v=1409347068124&sz=w1248-h559″ ]Summer Howard, Guest Contributor <br> Summer is a sophomore English Education major and Christian romance author from Yukon, Oklahoma. Her first book, No Matter What, was published in September of last year. She is currently working on her next book while attending Southern Nazarene University. [/author]