Striving for Excellence Without Burning Out

I’ve always been the kind of person who aims high. Whether it’s lifting, business, or personal goals, I tend to set the bar at best possible. That drive has pushed me to grow in powerful ways, but it’s also burned me out more than once.

Recently, I read a MASS Research Review by Eric Helms that looked at two sides of perfectionism:

• Perfectionist striving — setting high standards, working hard, aiming for mastery.
• Perfectionist concerns — fear of mistakes, judgment, or not meeting expectations.

In the study Helms reviewed, adolescent athletes were followed for a year to see how these traits related to burnout, performance, and training stress. Those who leaned toward perfectionist striving reported higher perceived performanceand less burnout. Those with stronger perfectionist concerns, the constant fear of falling short, showed more burnou tand lower perceived performance (Květon et al., 2021).

That hit home.

I’ve lived both sides of that coin. The striving part made me disciplined and focused. But the fear of falling short? That’s the one that used to paralyze me on bad days. It made “not being perfect” feel like failure, even when I was improving.

Over time, I learned that striving doesn’t have to mean suffering. The real shift came when I stopped chasing perfectionand started chasing excellence.

Perfection says: “If it’s not flawless, it’s not worth it.”

Excellence says: “Do your best, learn, and get better each time.”

When I began to coach athletes, I noticed the same pattern. The ones who burned out weren’t the ones working the hardest—they were the ones terrified of not being enough. The truth is, your body can handle hard training. It’s your mindset that often breaks first.

So here’s what I tell my clients (and myself):

• Keep your standards high, but flexible. Missing a lift or having an off day doesn’t erase progress.
• Separate effort from outcome. You can give 100% and still not win that day. That’s okay.
• Strive for excellence, not perfection. One leads to growth, the other to guilt.

You can love the process, chase your goals, and still protect your mental health. The best athletes don’t fear failure, they use it as feedback.

So the next time you feel that pressure to “get it right,” pause. Remember why you started. You’re not here to be perfect. You’re here to get better.

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References for Further Review

• Helms, E. (2021). Striving for Perfection Versus the Fear of Falling Short of It. MASS Research Review, Volume 5, Issue 6.
• Květon, P., Jelínek, M., & Burešová, I. (2021). The role of perfectionism in predicting athlete burnout, training distress, and sports performance: A short-term and long-term longitudinal perspective. Journal of Sports Sciences. PubMed ID: 33818303