In the December Issue:
When I tell CEO’s, “I’m a Coach for Perfectionists”, I’m shocked to hear their immediate response, “I’m a perfectionist!!” CEO’s are high risk takers and fast movers… not the typical “perfectionist” stereotype. But when I built a community of thousands of perfectionists, I realized quickly that perfectionism is not one-size-fits-all.
There are three types of perfectionists and each with a harmful side and superpower side. When CEO’s lean into that superpower, magic happens! Their business grows rapidly, they gain more time outside of their businesses and become massively fulfilled as human beings.
The Overachiever
Overachievers are dedicated workers, but they get into trouble when, no matter how much they achieve, it’s never enough. In a study by Dr. Robert Goldman, he asked high achievers if they'd rather be a mediocre athlete and live a long, healthy life, or win a gold medal and die in 5 years. Without question, the majority chose Gold Medal.
So whether you’re racing to get your next client, hustling to hit a revenue goal, or looking for your next feature, the #1 way you can start leaning into your superpower is this: slow down. Some of the biggest achievers in the world discuss the importance of meditation, gratitude, and visualization. Allow yourself the gift of being in the present moment, for the life you are working so hard for.
The Procrastinator
Of the 3000 people who have taken my perfectionist type quiz, 60% are procrastinators!
Procrastinators are extremely busy, but they’re filling their time with lots of little tasks that are not moving them forward. We live in a world packed with overwhelm, but overwhelm is the brain's way of saying, “This is a lot! I need to do something comfortable!” So we reach for familiar tasks.
But the tasks that grow our business to the highest level are out of our comfort zone. In order to lean into your superpower, you have to chunk down those uncomfortable tasks. I.e., rather than thinking “how can I hit my revenue goal for the year?”, ask yourself, "how can I hit my revenue goal for the week?"
I’m not saying stop dreaming at level 100, in fact, procrastinators biggest asset is their ability to dream big! However, instead of taking action at level 100 (which causes overwhelm), ask yourself “what’s the first step to get there?” and solely focus on that first step, thus kicking overwhelm out of your business.
The People Pleaser
According to a study done by Dr. Kushner and Dr. Choi, 54% of women are people pleasers. Now, it’s wonderful to be of service to others, but when we are pouring from an empty cup, we are on a one way trip to burnout and exhaustion.
Tapping into the people pleaser superpower is all about doing your inner work. People pleasers rarely trust their own gut, instead seeking reassurance from others. By doing the inner work (like working with a coach, studying personal development or reading this article), you start tapping into that inner trust. Thus filling your own cup and readying it to pour into others.
What if I am all 3?
It’s normal to reach for each perfectionist type in different areas of our lives and business! It’s incredibly important to know when you lean into different types, that way you know the steps to take to get into superpower mode.
Having grown up in a family immersed in the personal development world, she has been attending seminars, and absorbing personal growth tools her whole life, and she has since helped thousands of perfectionists accomplish goals, ranging from getting out of their own way and starting their own businesses, to cutting their work day in half, while scaling their businesses at double the speed, to creating passive income offers that bring in thousands every month.
She is the CEO of Life Coach Baker and the host of The Life Coach Baker Podcast. Find her on social media @lifecoachbaker
