Why your perfectionism is stopping you from making progress in motorsport
Hello, I’m Jess and I’m a perfectionist.
Or, as my therapist puts it, I have ‘unrelenting standards’.
This is a term coined by the type of psychology known as Schema Therapy. There are lots of other schemas you might fall into, but let's look at how having unrelenting standards might affect you as you search for motorsport sponsorship.
According to Schema Therapy Online, you likely have unrelenting standards if you agree to five or more of the following:
No matter what I do I always feel there isn't enough time.
I feel stressed and pressured most of the time.
I need everything to be done to very high standards.
I have to feel that I am the best in terms of performance.
I rarely switch off and relax - it feels like such a waste of time.
My relationships suffer because I push myself and work so hard.
I tend to drink more than I should because I just can't switch off.
There always seems like there is more to be done.
My health is starting to suffer because I am so wound up all the time.
I get quite irritated and annoyed easily.
I’m a solid 8/10; how about you?
If you’re like me, setting such high standards for yourself can affect the way you approach your motorsport career. Not only that, it can cause stress, damage your relationships, and make you always feel like you’re under a ton of pressure.
🏁 How does this affect on-track performance?
Unrelenting standards have probably meant that you’ve put a lot of time in at the track. In fact, you’re probably a VERY good racing driver because you’re a perfectionist. You take time to analyse the track by watching YouTube videos, you practice on the sim, and you book extra test days. This is the normal remit of a committed racing driver.
You don’t need to change this level of dedication.
But you do need to look out for the ways this goal of perfecting each and every circuit affects how you feel about motorsport.
Are you only having fun if you’re beating your previous lap times?
Do you get angry when something goes wrong, even if it’s unavoidable?
Do you constantly feel under pressure to keep improving?
Does the pre-race atmosphere make you feel stressed?
Answering yes to any of these could, potentially, affect your on-track performance.
I do this with speaking gigs. If I over-plan a talk in order to perfect it, I’ll be disappointed when I miss that one perfectly crafted line or go off on a tangent.
Now, I’ve learned to relax a bit. Instead of planning every line and every gesture, I just write talking points and let my experience and knowledge do the hard work for me. Not only does this save me a TON of time, but it also makes everything much less stressful.
The same could be true for your racing. Those late nights practicing on the sim will affect how rested you are for race day. Always having your nose in YouTube videos can affect your ability to relax and get your head in the game. Not feeling like you’ve done enough practice/research/testing can lead to stress, which can affect performance and/or lead you to make silly moves in the heat of the moment.
🔍 How does this affect your sponsorship search?
I find that a lot of racing drivers get stuck between researching a sponsor and actually sending a pitch. For most, there’s a little fear and uncertainty here. For perfectionists, that’s ten-fold. We have a natural tendency to try and get every single duck in a row before we hit send on that pitch email.
In understanding everything, from when the business was founded to what the CEO had for breakfast this morning, we feel like we’re protecting ourselves from rejection. Once everything is perfect, then — and only then — can we send the email.
Except, the perfect pitch doesn’t exist.
This means we’re not sending as many pitches as we could be — in fact, we might not be sending any at all. Whether that’s down to these unrelenting standards or just a lack of confidence in your abilities, it’s going to start holding you back.
Further reading: The big guide to motorsport sponsorship
✅ How to overcome perfectionism
It’s time to accept that this is part of who you are, but let’s start to explore ways you can rewrite the thoughts that say everything has to be perfect.
Start by writing down a list of 20 ways your unrelenting standards cause you stress or hold you back.
Here are a few examples:
I don’t sleep the night before a big race because I’m just visualising the track over and over in my head
I never send pitch emails because I want them to be perfect
I feel under pressure to always beat my best lap times and feel frustrated when I don’t
Motorsport is only fun when I’m winning races
I don’t feel confident in my abilities because there’s still so much for me to learn
I’m a great driver but I don’t have time to relax or spend time with people I love
Think about how these thoughts manifest themselves. How do they hold you back?
For example, not sending pitch emails could mean you’re not contacting the number of people needed to get a bite. Not sleeping the night before a race means you might not be on top form once you get on track.
Now ask yourself: what will the results be if I were to do things a little less well?
For the most part, just relieving a little of the pressure you put on yourself will help improve your performance. Sure, watch those videos and practice on the sim, but take some time to watch a film with your favourite person or get an early night. Work-life balance applies to motorsport too.
The same goes for the racing sponsorship search. Of course, do your research and spend time carefully crafting a pitch but when you’re done, just send it. There’s no such thing as the perfect email so you may as well just send that good email because sales is, at the end of the day, still a numbers game.
🏆 Lower standards may not impact performance
Not only should you consider how lowering your standards just slightly might impact your performance but think about how this might affect your quality of life, your relationships, and your stress levels.
I remember reading a story about a guy who would go for a bike ride along the beach every morning. Each time he would push and push to better his time and while he was proud of his achievement, it was knackering. One day, he decided to take it a bit easier, and not only did he enjoy the ride much more, as he was able to take in the sights, but he was also only a few minutes slower than his absolute flat-out pace.
This was a massive revelation. In taking it easier, his enjoyment skyrocketed.
Racing is, of course, different. You don’t want to sacrifice seconds on track but consider how your goal of always being first or beating your previous time is affecting your overall enjoyment of the sport. A relaxed driver tends to perform better overall than one who is running on stress hormones, and typically, they have fewer incidents that could end in places lost or a DNF.
Think about this next time you’re putting off sending that sponsorship email or pulling an all-nighter to get in track time on the sim. Is perfectionism holding you back?