Perfectionism Failed Me

The Shinah Show

Growing up as a first-generation Korean-American, I was raised to believe that meeting “perfect” milestones would make me happy. There was never any letter other than an A on my report cards, a number other than 1600 on my SATS (and PSATS), or a university I attended with a ranking less than #1 in the nation (ok, don’t hate me – I promise it’s not all sunshine and rainbows).
But while I was on this seemingly “perfect path of perfectionism”, I was also the most unhappy I’ve ever been. This track was making me miserable rather that making me happy – which is exactly what I WASN’T expecting.
And after crawling out from underneath my desk (literally), I burned out – quite literally - and realized I had failed to maintain this ‘perfect’ lifestyle.
Join me on this episode of The Shinah Show as I recount my life story through a lens of perfectionism and share with you:

• How perfection eventually became my façade to hide behind, rather than my reality
• The lengths I’ve gone to in order to maintain my “perfect” records
• How crippling the pressure of perfectionism can be
• How I dug myself out of a constant cycle of burnout – and how you can, too

I hope this episode speaks to all of you with perfectionist tendencies, and shows you that we ALL need to give ourselves a little more grace, a little less judgement, and a damn chance to rest sometimes.