Let's Talk About Perfectionism

The Dr. Laura Podcast

Dr. Laura Schlessinger & SiriusXM

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4.6 • 6.3K Ratings

🗓️ 17 May 2026

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"Let's Talk About Perfectionism" - Listen to my Morning Monologue: I’m sharing my take on pressing issues, enlightening research on human behavior, answering questions I get by email, and my favorite, most instructive interactions with callers. Everything you’ll hear is designed to help you become a better spouse, parent, family member, co-worker, friend, and human being. It’s the free therapy you need! Got a dilemma? Call 1-800-DR-LAURA / 1-800-375-2872 or make an appointment at DrLaura.com - Listen to The Dr. Laura Program daily on SiriusXM Triumph 123.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Thank you for listening to my morning monologue.
0:03.8	Brought to you by Golden Crest Metals, helping everyday investors protect what they've worked so hard to build by adding gold and silver to retirement portfolios.
0:14.3	Learn more at goldencrestmedals.com slash protect.
0:18.5	Remember, you can hear my radio program daily on Sirius XM Triumph and connect with me 24-7
0:26.2	at Dr.ora.com. I want to talk about perfectionism because I'm probably going to give you a spin on
0:31.4	this that you're not used to because perfectionism is one of those words that, that's a bad thing.
0:36.2	That's a bad thing to be perfectionist.
0:38.3	That's not true. I am a perfectionist. There's a difference, though, between being a perfectionist,
0:44.5	which means you have great pride and intent that if you do something, you're going to put everything
0:51.2	you have into it and do it right. And until it's right,
0:54.7	you're going to work on it until it's right. And I've been places and done things where people
1:00.3	have said, eh, that's good enough. Or nobody's going to notice that. And I look at them like
1:08.5	they're a squashed bug.
1:15.7	I go, well, that may be good enough and nobody will notice it for you, but I will know.
1:17.2	So, no, I have to do this again.
1:19.2	That takes a long time.
1:22.3	You really, you just are a perfectionist, and I go, you're right.
1:32.1	But there's a difference between being a perfectionist and being a pathological perfectionist. I have a little tinges here and there of pathological perfectionism, and I'll tell you where those are, but for the
1:37.2	most part, I'm a very healthy, proud, card-carrying perfectionist, and I think you all ought to be that's a different spin because
1:46.8	that word is usually it's a bad thing no it's an absolutely great thing what's a pathological
1:53.6	perfectionist that's somebody who says I'm never good enough I suck Now I've been heard to say that when I'm shooting pool and I miss a shot, I think I ought to have gotten. Then I have to remind myself that I'm using a long stick with a rounded tip to hit one round ball into another round ball into a pocket. I mean, that's even a stupid idea.
2:22.6	Let's make a game where you have a long stick with a round tip and we're going to hit a
	...

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