Vanessa Coggshall, Author at Tiny Buddha

Posts by Vanessa-Coggshall

Vanessa Coggshall is a recovering perfectionist who has set a lofty but attainable goal—to be a writer. Her blog, williamssyndromesmile.com, focuses on raising her children, one of whom has special needs, while balancing present living.

Vanessa-Coggshall's Website

Scared to Try: Moving Beyond the Paralysis of Perfectionism

By Vanessa Coggshall

“Fear is inevitable, I have to accept that, but I cannot allow it to paralyze me.” ~Isabel Allende

I am a recovering perfectionist.

Up until now, this is the only way I’ve known how to live. The thrilling burn of perfection invaded every aspect of my life to the point that I became paralyzed by fear. If I couldn’t do it right, I didn’t want to do it at all.

When I was younger, I allowed the desire for perfection to control all of my actions. In music, if I couldn’t sit first chair, I didn’t want to play …