Is It Harder to Change As We Age?

Summary

• If you're a leader who's been a perfectionist for many years, it's harder to change this habit because you've been rewarded for it.
• Changing perfectionism in someone who's only had the trait for a short time can happen quickly.
• To alter long-term perfectionist behavior, you need to gather evidence showing it's no longer beneficial, or face serious consequences.
• Working with people under 30 can feel easier because they are more adaptable and have fewer ingrained bad habits.
• As you get older, changing your ways is tough because you believe your methods are already successful.
• I strive to stay open to change and never fall into the mindset of resisting growth just because my current ways seem to work.

Video

How To Take Action

I would suggest to start by creating awareness about your perfectionist habits. Recognizing when you're demanding perfection and asking yourself whether it's truly necessary can be an eye-opener.

Next, collect proof over time that shows when good enough is actually okay. You might notice that not everything needs to be perfect to be successful. This can help break the cycle of needing things to be perfect.

If you've been a perfectionist for a long time, try to embrace small changes first, rather than overhauling everything at once. For instance, delegate a task without expecting it to come back perfect. When it’s done well enough, acknowledge the success.

For those who have been perfectionists for less time, you can probably shift behaviors faster. Hold yourself accountable but be more forgiving "when perfection isn't necessary". See how it impacts your outcomes.

Remember, if you're under 30, now is an excellent time to shape good habits. You're likely more flexible, so take advantage of that by being open to new ways of doing things.

If you're older and worry that altering your methods might not bring success, remind yourself why growth is important. Make small adjustments in your approach and observe the benefits.

In personal growth, staying adaptable is key. Don't resist new ideas just because what you're doing now seems to work. Instead, try out new strategies and see how they can benefit you. You might find better ways to achieve your goals with less stress about being perfect.

Lastly, whether leading a team or seeking self-improvement, encourage a culture that values progress over perfection. This will not only improve your mindset but also can inspire others around you to embrace change and growth.

Quotes by Leila Hormozi

"To extinguish the behavior of perfectionism for someone who's been doing it for 6 months it could probably happen fairly quickly"

– Leila Hormozi

"For somebody who's been doing it for years, they have to build up a lot more evidence that it doesn't work anymore in order to change"

– Leila Hormozi

"People on our team that are like below 30, I'm like, this is a piece of cake"

– Leila Hormozi

"For everyone to help people develop, it feels easy, truly, because people are much more moldable"

– Leila Hormozi

"I've just tried really hard to never get into that mentality"

– Leila Hormozi

Full Transcript

for example if somebody's a perfectionist and they are in a leadership role they've been rewarded for being a perfectionist for 15 years versus someone who's new it might have only been 6 months so to extinguish the behavior of perfectionism for someone who's been doing it for 6 months it could probably happen fairly quickly for somebody who's been doing it for years they have to build up a lot more evidence that it doesn't work anymore in order to change or have more severe consequences people on our team that are like below 30 I'm like this is a piece of cake for everyone to help people develop it feels easy truly because people are much more moldable myself included you have less of these bad habits I also think sometimes there's less of a desire with people as they get older cuz they're like hey what I do works I've just tried really hard to never get into that mentality