It took me a long time to realize that I’m an all-or-nothing perfectionist.
For a long time, I didn’t even know I had perfectionist tendencies.
I thought I was just bad at managing myself.
I usually make plans for each day and try to follow them.
One day, I woke up late and couldn’t do the things I had planned for the morning.
I said it like the day was already over.
“Today is ruined.”
A coworker who had heard me say that many times told me something interesting.
He said it sounded like I had perfectionist tendencies.
He told me the day wasn’t ruined,
and that I could still have a good day starting from the afternoon.
That was the moment I realized something.
I wasn’t lazy.
I was an all-or-nothing perfectionist.
Whenever my plan didn’t go exactly the way I imagined,
I felt like the whole day had failed.
But in reality, only a small part of the plan didn’t work.
After I understood this,
it became much easier to control my mood.
These days, even if my plans fall apart,
I try not to think the whole day is ruined.
Nothing was wrong with the day.
Even if some things go wrong,
I can still have a good day —
and a good life.