Today I want to tell you a story about a nurse who fell into a perfection trap.
Once there was a nurse tired of juggling per diem jobs who wanted to get out of direct patient care.
As luck would have it, a position was available for a triage position, and one of the managers was someone she had previously worked with and really liked.
She had an amazing conversation catching up on the phone. They discussed when she could get started and even salary information.
This nurse was so excited that something so perfect would fall in her lap. It had to be fate and that she would get the job. All that needed to happen was meeting with another manager.
As she went into the second interview with another manager, she was 100% certain that this perfect job was just meant for her.
The interview did not go the way the nurse had thought. It was a total hot mess. A few days later, she got the e-mail that "they decided to go with another candidate."
The nurse was devastated. She blew the interview but tried to feel better by saying, Well, it was a sign it was just not meant to be.'
But that interview set her back.
She was afraid to apply for another job because she didn't want to get rejected again.
It wasn't until almost nine months later, a position opened up in one of the facilities she worked at.
While the job wasn't perfect, it seemed like a good step, and she decided to apply.
She got that job, and that not-so-perfect job changed her career in ways she could have never imagined possible.
That nurse was me.
The reason I share this story with you today is to show you my perfection trap. I let my desire for perfection and what I made not getting this 'perfect job' sabotage me into giving up and believing I would never leave direct patient care.
From coaching and working with nurses these past two years, I see how nurses use perfection to stop them from trying or taking chances in their careers. Usually using thoughts like:
- Something is wrong with me that I need to fix before I can have what I want.
- I need to wait for the right time.
- Maybe these are signs that I should give up and be content where I am.
But perfectionism is just a tool that your brain uses to keep you safe in the status quo because our brains tend to lean towards risk aversion.
This is a big problem if you are going after a goal. Goals require both risk and a willingness to fall on your face again and again and again...
If you find yourself falling into the perfection trap and thinking any of the thoughts above, listen up.
There is nothing wrong with you. You are not broken. Not hitting your goals doesn't have any impact on your worth.
There will never be a right time. There will only be the time that you decide you are to start working towards your goal.
And finally, please stop wasting your time looking for signs that you should give up. Your brain is very good at finding evidence to prove it's right using a combination of biases, pattern recognition, and conditioning. This is why conspiracy theories like the Earth is flat exist.
And if you are finding perfectionism is sabotaging your ability to move forward in your career, come work with me, and I will help you see how easy it is to achieve your career goals.
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