REBT is against all forms of perfectionism. Humans may at times be capable of doing wonderful things but they are highly imperfect beings. When we strive to be perfect by holding the belief “I must do this perfectly well” we tend to experience performance anxiety. This emotion rarely helps us perform at our very best. The other consequence of holding the belief “I must do this perfectly well” is that we are prone to feelings of shame and depression when we do not perform perfectly well. We observe ourselves performing imperfectly and we then may stop trying to improve our performance. We may think subsequent extreme thoughts like “Because I cannot do that perfectly well as I must therefore I am inadequate.” This form of self-downing interferes with motivation and creativity.
The antidote for perfectionism is a combination of realistic and flexible beliefs that are consistent with reality. Perfection is an abstract idea but there are really no referents for it in reality. Perhaps there are close to perfect performances but in the end even those performances can probably be improved upon. So a more realistic, flexible belief which is consistent with reality is “I want to do as well as I am capable of at this time but I never have to do nor can do perfectly well. Too bad this is the human condition. I can try and improve and learn from each effort I make but in the end I probably will always be able to improve upon even my finest performances.”
If you wish to be happier and more creative in life give up your perfectionism. Have self-acceptance and do not use your performances to measure your worth as a person. Your performances can never be summed up and serve as a valid measured by your worth as a person. Strive to improve your performances and to take calculated risks to do so. Remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde who said “Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.”