The Complete Perfectionist

Available for the first time in English, this ideal guide to doing better than your best at anything, written by a Nobel Prize winner, contains lessons in the form of aphorisms that will delight anyone with a desire to reach beyond quality, even beyond excellence.

It's only natural to want to avoid making mistakes, but imperfection is a part of being human. And while perfectionists are often praised for their abilities, being constantly anxious about details can hold you back and keep you from reaching your full potential. In this fully revised and updated second edition of When Perfect Isn't Good Enough, you'll discover the root cause of your perfectionism, explore the impact of perfectionism on your life, and find new, proven-effective coping skills to help you overcome your anxiety about making mistakes. This guide also includes tips for dealing with other perfectionists and discussions about how perfectionism is linked to worry, depression, anger, social anxiety, and body image. As you complete the exercises in this book, you'll find it easier and easier to keep worries at bay and enjoy life — imperfections and all. This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit — an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

An unforgettable portrait of France’s legendary chef, and the sophisticated, unforgiving world of French gastronomy Bernard Loiseau was one of only twenty-five French chefs to hold Europe’s highest culinary award, three stars in the Michelin Red Guide, and only the second chef to be personally awarded the Legion of Honor by a head of state. Despite such triumphs, he shocked the culinary world by taking his own life in February 2003. TheGaultMillau guidebook had recently dropped its ratings of Loiseau’s restaurant, and rumors swirled that he was on the verge of losing a Michelin star (a prediction that proved to be inaccurate). Journalist Rudolph Chelminski, who befriended Loiseau three decades ago and followed his rise to the pinnacle of French restaurateurs, now gives us a rare tour of this hallowed culinary realm. The Perfectionist is the story of a daydreaming teenager who worked his way up from complete obscurity to owning three famous restaurants in Paris and rebuilding La Côte d’Or, transforming a century-old inn and restaurant that had lost all of its Michelin stars into a luxurious destination restaurant and hotel. He started a line of culinary products with his name on them, appeared regularly on television and in the press, and had a beautiful, intelligent wife and three young children he adored—Bernard Loiseau seemed to have it all. An unvarnished glimpse inside an echelon filled with competition, culture wars, and impossibly high standards, The Perfectionist vividly depicts a man whose energy and enthusiasm won the hearts of staff and clientele, while self-doubt and cut-throat critics took their toll.

This practical guide to overcoming the dangers of being a perfectionist--from debilitating feelings of self-doubt to difficulties with other people--shows readers how their perfectionist tendencies can actually help them succeed.

The complete set of self-help guides from the popular Overcoming series. Each guide is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), an evidence-based therapy which is recommended by the NHS for the treatment of a large number of psychological difficulties. Each guide comprises a step-by-step self-help programme based on CBT and contains: -Useful information about the disorder -Practical strategies and techniques based on CBT -Advice on how to keep recovery going -Further resources The Complete Overcoming Series contains 31 titles: Overcoming Anger and Irritability Overcoming Anorexia Nervosa Overcoming Anxiety Overcoming Body Image Problems including Body Dysmorphic Disorder Overcoming Bulimia Nervosa and Binge-Eating Overcoming Childhood Trauma Overcoming Chronic Fatigue Overcoming Chronic Pain Overcoming Compulsive Gambling Overcoming Depersonalization & Feelings of Unreality Overcoming Depression Overcoming Grief Overcoming Health Anxiety Overcoming Insomnia and Sleep Problems Overcoming Low Self-Esteem Overcoming Mood Swings Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Overcoming Panic and Agoraphobia Overcoming Paranoid and Suspicious Thoughts Overcoming Perfectionism Overcoming Problem Drinking Overcoming Relationship Problems Overcoming Sexual Problems Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness Overcoming Stress Overcoming Traumatic Stress Overcoming Weight Problems Overcoming Worry Overcoming Your Child's Fears & Worries Overcoming Your Child's Shyness and Social Anxiety Overcoming You Smoking Habit

Perfectionism is about believing that if we can just do something perfectly, other people will love and accept us - and if we can't, we'll never be good enough. That belief is a burden that can negatively affect all areas of a person's life. In this positive, practical book (retitled and updated edition), psychologist Tom Greenspon explains perfectionism, where it comes from, and what parents can do about it. He describes a healing process for transforming perfectionism into healthy living practices and self-acceptance. Parents who want to help their kids move past perfectionism and live happier, healthier lives in which they're free to make mistakes, to learn, and to grow will benefit from this book. In addition, parents who struggle with their own perfectionism - and whose perfectionism takes a toll on the family - will find help for themselves within these pages.

Like the Martha of Jesus' day, so many women are preoccupied with being the perfect hostess, wife, mother, worker that it leaves many of them angry, frenzied, and depressed. In Martha to the Max, Debi Stack uses humor to bring great relief and encouragement to today's Marthas. This entertaining adventure will help readers view and use their abilities in a way that brings a smile to the face of God. Debi gives plenty of practical tips on slowing down and focusing on the 'one thing' Jesus said is needed.

“Another gem from one of the world’s justly celebrated historians specializing in unusual and always fascinating subjects and people.” — Booklist (starred review) The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future. The rise of manufacturing could not have happened without an attention to precision. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools—machines that make machines. Eventually, the application of precision tools and methods resulted in the creation and mass production of items from guns and glass to mirrors, lenses, and cameras—and eventually gave way to further breakthroughs, including gene splicing, microchips, and the Hadron Collider. Simon Winchester takes us back to origins of the Industrial Age, to England where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher in modern production: John Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. It was Thomas Jefferson who later exported their discoveries to the fledgling United States, setting the nation on its course to become a manufacturing titan. Winchester moves forward through time, to today’s cutting-edge developments occurring around the world, from America to Western Europe to Asia. As he introduces the minds and methods that have changed the modern world, Winchester explores fundamental questions. Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural co-exist in society?

Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge and disordered eating, affect a significant proportion of the general population. They can cause untold suffering to those with the disorder, and those around them, who find themselves at a loss how to help their loved one. For the first time, this unique bundle combines hope and inspiration to those experiencing eating disorders either first-hand or up close. Includes: self-help programmes for the eating disorders and the inspirational diary of recovery written by an ex-sufferer of Anorexia Nervosa, now a Youth Ambassador for Beat, the Eating Disorders association. Includes the following: Overcoming Anorexia Overcoming Bulimia Nervosa & Binge-Eating Overcoming Perfectionism Overcoming Low Self-Esteem Mealtimes & Milestones

Is your perfectionism causing you anxiety, stress, and worry? If you identify as a perfectionist, you may not see your perfectionism as a problem. But striving for unrealistic standards, basing your self-worth on meeting those standards, and engaging in persistent self-criticism will ultimately lead to anxiety, stress, worry, burnout, and unhappiness. So, how can you distinguish between “helpful” and “hurtful” perfectionism and stop holding yourself and others to unrealistically high standards? Written by two clinical psychologists, The Anxious Perfectionist shines a much-needed light on the hidden costs of “being the best,” and offers essential skills based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you cope with the anxiety that is driven by your perfectionism. You’ll learn how your “need to be perfect” can actually hinder your productivity, and keep you from reaching your goals. You’ll also learn skills to help you gain distance from negative self-talk and criticism, let go of unhelpful and self-limiting labels such as “success” or “failure,” and give yourself and others permission to make mistakes while still honoring your high aspirations. If you’re struggling with feelings of anxiety and stress, and suspect your perfectionism may be to blame, this guide will show you how to stop getting in the way of your own success, and live a life guided by your deepest values.