We aren't each born a perfectionist; we become one. The root cause of my perfectionism, according to more than a few of my therapists, is my desire for positive attention and my fear of disapproval.
In childhood, I was expected to be perfectly behaved, perfectly clean and tidy, a perfect student. So I believed I needed to be a perfectionist if I was ever to achieve excellence.
Everything was black and white—perfect or not. There was no gray area.
Such polarized perfectionist thinking perpetuates a cycle of fear of disapproval; feeling insecure, inadequate, not enough; and thinking about ourselves based on what we do, how we look, how we present. Regardless of whether we are expecting perfection of ourselves or of others, it doesn't usually yield good results.
So today, I embrace the principles and practices of "good enough" and "close enough." Over and over again. I embrace the gray.