Do you struggle with perfectionism? Do you always feel that you are not achieving enough? Or doing enough? Or being enough?
Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.
Today’s clip is from episode 354 of the podcast with award-winning journalist and author of the bestselling book ‘The Status Game’, Will Storr.
Will argues that as humans, we’re programmed to compare ourselves to others – and to care about how we stack up.
In this clip, we discuss why perfectionism is becoming a modern epidemic and how we can start to overcome it.
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Actionable Insights
1. Limit Your Status Competition
Recognize that you are not competing with everyone in the world, but rather playing a ’little status game’ within your local context. This understanding can be a liberating mindset shift to reduce pressure and help you focus in.
Mute or unfollow social media accounts that cause feelings of inadequacy or pain, even if you rationally know they only share successes. This is a crucial way to protect yourself, as your subconscious still takes in these signals, and you should do it proudly.
3. Play Multiple Status Games
Actively participate in multiple social groups or communities to gain diverse sources of status and value. Research indicates that belonging to more groups leads to greater happiness and emotional stability.
4. Volunteer for Status & Value
Engage in volunteering to create a new ‘status game’ for yourself, providing a valuable signal to your subconscious that you are of value to other people. This is especially beneficial if you feel a lack of status in other areas of your life.
5. Cultivate a Skill for Status
Find something you are reasonably good at and develop it, as competence in a skill can provide a sense of value and status. This feeling of being valued is more crucial for happiness than wealth.