A Perfectionist is defined as a person who refuses to accept any standard short of perfection. Some might also add that they are delusional, generally nuts, and stress out everyone else around them.

But I’m not so bad once you get to know me.

I swear I was like this since birth. However, when I hit may be Grade 6, full-blown perfectionism took over, and just about anyone who knows me now will describe me as a perfectionist.

It is not necessarily a bad trait. I mean, there are a lot worse things somebody can be.  Perfectionism sure has helped me both excel and go crazy throughout my college career, and now that I have upgraded in my life, I can see how it has both helped and hindered me.

These are the pros and cons I’ve discovered to being a perfectionist throughout the years:

Pro – You have motivation, determination, persistence, and drive – qualities that most people find redeeming and can make you a great candidate for landing a job.
Con – You stretch yourself thin trying to exude these qualities in every aspect of life, whether it be schoolwork or getting your hair to look perfect (seriously, that takes some persistence).

Pro – You’re excellent at correcting and editing things because you get a secret joy out of seeking out imperfections.
Con – You’re constantly annoying people around you by correcting and editing everything they do without being asked to do so.

Pro – People admire how hard you’re willing to work.
Con – People don’t understand why little mess ups that wouldn’t bother the average Joe can bring you down so much.

Pro – You can seek out and correct the tiniest imperfection in any area whether it be painting lipstick or painting a portrait.
Con – You have no control over your ability to walk away from a task; you end when it’s perfect.

Pro – You generally do exceedingly well on assignments and papers because you won’t hand in anything short of your absolute best.
Con – You cannot emotionally handle getting any grade less than an A. An A- might as well be an F, because an A- means you did something wrong. And mistakes mean failure.

Pro – You go the extra mile, even for things you aren’t necessarily interested in. For example, When I started handling a kitchen on the substitution of the Ex Chef, just for the sake of helping my best friend (GM of that hotel),it was not my cup of tea, but I still worked to learn perfect form. 
Con – You can never have that “I don’t care about this, so I’m not going to try” mentality. It doesn’t matter if you’re working on a diorama for an art class you had to take for your core credits even though you’re a PR major; you’re going to stress over it.

Pro – People think you’re someone who really has everything together and look up to you.
Con – You are constantly busting your butt to live up to that impossible standard and feel mortified when somebody realizes that you are, in fact, imperfect like everyone else.

Pro – You never accept failure from yourself.
Con – You never accept failure from yourself.