I have often struggled with perfectionism. It has been a significant source of stress as I spend more time on tasks because they aren’t complete to my standards. My standards are almost always higher than my peers. And not meeting my standards rarely feels like failure; it just feels incomplete. And if I am forced into dropping a task before it is complete in order to start the next task, that’s when the stress gets me. When I realize that I’m being unreasonable and unforgiving to myself, I ask myself “what would happen if I spent less time and did only what was absolutely necessary?” Would anyone notice that I didn’t do my “best”? But most of all, when I get a chance to see how my less than perfect work is every bit as good as the completed work of my peers, I know that my perfectionism is holding me back. When I’m struggling with a task, I remind myself of those moments then move on. I don’t have to be a perfect leaf to be valued.