All of the athletes I have in my practice identify as being perfectionists. Webster’s defines perfectionism as, “a disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable.” I think of myself as a recovering perfectionist.
When we first learn a sport, perfectionism helps us. It drives us to arrive at the barn at 5 a.m. and to stay until 7 p.m. It encourages us to get back on after we fall off, to take lessons and clinics, to constantly strive to be better. Perfectionism provides us with a source of energy, a fuel that optimizes our learning process.
There is a tipping point however, when the perfectionism begins to become an impediment to our development as a rider and competitor. We can all agree that being perfect is not humanly possible; it simply is not how we are wired. And yet being perfect is all that many athletes will accept from themselves and others. To read more from Abigail Lufkin, click here.