# Fear of Imperfection

By [jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979-2) · 2025-05-01

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I get tense in my shoulders when I’m hearing criticism or told that I’m about to get “feedback.”

But I actually feel it somewhere in my core.

There’s a voice in there telling me, “hey dude, this means you’re not perfect. Which means, somehow you’re less than. You’re not good enough.”

Intellectually, I know that the “feedback” is a gift from the universe. It’s an opportunity to grow.

But emotionally?

Emotionally, the storm is swirling.

The defenses are being mustered.

The desire, perhaps even the need, to say “hey, I don’t need this because if I did, it would mean that I’m not perfect and, well, that just makes me feel scared and vulnerable and I don’t like to feel that way.”

I know there’s a way out of this.

And I know I can get there.

And I also know that the fact that I don’t have that “fixed” now means that I’m not perfect.

And I’m totally ok with that.

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*Originally published on [jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979-2/fear-of-imperfection)*