Perfectionism; Lost In The Details

While the rest of the world moves quickly by, the Perfectionist is busy, hour after hour, editing and re-editing their photo. Hours pass, then days, then months and still the Perfectionist is unsatisfied.

Where does this come from? It is the Trauma we have experienced, most often in childhood. From the constant gaslighting, being convinced that we are to be blamed for things we have not done, to the dreaded silent treatment from the gaslighting father when confronted with the depressed and angry mother, the child takes this on as their own responsibility. Walking on eggshells is no easy feat, one must make careful, perfect movements and say careful, perfect words. Life must be meticulous.

The child grows up and continues to try to live without rocking the boat. If only they could edit that photo to the true color and clarity that they see when they look at it! How could this possibly be shared on the internet like this? They obsess about it. People will not like it, they will attack it for all of its flaws. The grown child goes in circles, until one day, they realize that most of life has passed them by as they worked so hard on inane, tedious details that no one really cared about. They realize, that what they were really judged on was how they seemed to never move forward, when the rest of the world passed them by.