Enneagram 1: The Perfectionist

For those who know the enneagram, there are healthy and unhealthy sides to each type. I just happen to be the one that is called The Perfectionist. Type One. Now this may be true for the most part, but let’s dive deeper to what this actually means. The dictionary describes perfectionism as refusal to accept any standard short of perfection. For a type one, this translates as always striving to improve without making any mistakes. This can be subjective depending on the type of wing one can be, but this is the overview of a type one. As I continued to understand the healthy and unhealthy side of my personality type, I questioned as to how I would function in the workplace. And lo and behold, Harvard Business Review had, what it seemed to be, an endless log for “Managing Perfectionism.” In one of the articles, it described perfectionism as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can motivate you to perform at a high level and deliver top-quality work. On the other hand, it can cause you unnecessary anxiety and slow you down. I’m not sure about you, but I started yelling ‘Amen’ at my laptop because I haven’t heard an accurate depiction of my work ethic until now. However, being a college student, this can maximize the unhealthy side because there is so much to do and so little time (or so it seems). As mentioned in said articles, being a perfectionist is time consuming and takes a lot of effort. While other college students see their assignments as a check box, I tend to see it as striving to maximize my impact in the classroom. I want to be better. Or as Margaret Atwood said, “Better never means better for everyone... It always means worse, for some.” I know it sounds strange and stressful, which it is, but it is quite difficult to adjust my mindset, my standards, my perspective because I see potential in what is typically a big picture task. This idea of finding perfection amidst of my imperfection has been one of the most challenging concepts to grasp, but it’s about trusting the process of imperfection. I am what you call a recovering perfectionist.