Is there a difference between healthy striving and perfectionism? Absolutely. One is rooted in growth. The other, in fear . As Anne Lamott puts it, perfectionism “leaves us pretzelized.” It distorts us. Exhausts us. And most of all, it keeps us from starting, or finishing, what really matters. It may also leave us used, omitted, and abandoned, by others, yes, but mostly by ourselves. By others, because who wants to live in constant comparison to something that’s not real,