036 You're not a perfectionist. You just can't afford to make mistakes.

You've told yourself it's disproportionate. You've reasoned with it. The response fires anyway, before the reasoning gets there.High-performing attorneys who go over their briefs four times and still feel uncertain when they file. Who replay conversations on the drive home. Who feel personally responsible for outcomes they couldn't control. They don't call it perfectionism. They call it high standards.Perfectionism is a protection strategy. It formed in an environment where approval was tied to performance, where performing well enough kept connection to others predictable. Legal training didn't question that strategy. It reinforced it. The vigilance got called conscientiousness. The constant internal review got labeled professionalism. The pattern didn't get questioned. It got promoted.This patterned response is stored in the nervous system through repeated experience. That's why reasoning with it doesn't work. Knowing you're being too hard on yourself doesn't update what experience encoded. Because it's a response that formed through experience, it can be updated through experience.Want to understand what's driving the pattern in your own career?Book a private 20-minute call at heathermillscoaching.com/call. We'll talk about what's happening and whether this approach is right for you. Real conversation. If you want to hear about working together, I'll explain the options. No pressure either way.Follow Heather on LinkedIn for weekly weekly analysis of the patterns that keep high-performing attorneys stuck, and what actually changes them.Full Show Notes and Transcript:036 You're Not a Perfectionist. You Just Can't Afford to Make Mistakes.https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/036-youre-not-a-perfectionist-you-just-cant-afford-to-make-mistakesRelated Podcast Episode:Episode 08 - How Perfectionism Fuels Lawyer Burnout—Even If You Don’t Think You’re a Perfectionisthttps://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/08-perfectionism-and-lawyer-burnout