The Irony of Perfectionism: When You Misspell Perfectionism on Your Own Website

Perfectionism is a strange thing. It tells us everything needs to be just right the first time. No mistakes, no slip-ups, especially not where other people might notice.

So you can imagine the feeling when I realised that on our own website, the word perfectionism… was misspelt.

Yep. The very word that so many of us feel ruled by, the one that pushes us to work harder, aim higher, double-check everything, was quietly sitting there with a typo, on display for the world to see.

As a perfectionist myself, my reaction was instant: full-body cringe. Then came the self-talk.

"What will people think?" "That’s so embarrassing." "How did I miss that?"

The irony hit me straight away. I even had a bit of a laugh. Would this mistake make people doubt our attention to detail, or could it do the opposite? Maybe it would simply remind them that we’re human too.

The Temptation to Hide

I thought about just quietly fixing it and pretending it never happened. Easy fix, right?

Then I realised… without this mistake, I wouldn’t be writing this blog. And that’s the part that really got me. Oh, the irony.

What started as a simple typo became something more, a chance to pause, reflect and be honest with you and myself.

Sometimes our most “imperfect” moments are the ones that open the door to something real. So if you’ve ever tried to hide a mistake, cover up a slip, or pretend you’ve got it all together, I get it. You’re not alone.

What Actually Matters

Here’s the truth: we all mess things up sometimes. We miss things, we overlook details, we try our best and still get it wrong. Maybe the most helpful thing we can do is say — yep, I made a mistake. I see it. I’ve fixed it. And I’m okay.

That’s what I’m doing now. I’m not deleting the story, not covering it up, just owning it, learning from it and moving on.

Maybe that’s something you’ve needed to hear too. That it’s okay to make mistakes. That you don’t need to be perfect to be doing meaningful, important, beautiful things.

You’re allowed to get it wrong sometimes and still be learning, still be growing and still be showing up in ways that matter.

If You're a Perfectionist Too

Maybe this will resonate with you. Maybe you’ve beaten yourself up over a tiny error. Maybe you’ve felt that pressure to get it right every single time.

Here’s what this taught me:

• Mistakes don’t mean you’re not good enough

• The fear is often louder than the reality

• Growth happens when we acknowledge, not when we hide

• Sometimes, the kindest thing you can do is laugh a little and keep going

To anyone who’s ever panicked over a typo, a mistake, or a moment you wish you could redo, take a breath. You’re human. You’re learning and even with a spelling mistake, you’re perfectly imperfect in all the right ways.

And hey, if you ever need proof that no one’s got it all together, just remember: I misspelled perfectionism on a psychology website.