I am a Maximizer

Yes, I am a maximizer. I'm the guy that is hardly every happy with his performance and is always striving for the absolute best. I'm almost never satisfied and always hungry for something better regardless of the subject. I see this trait in myself every day when I'm shopping, doing schoolwork, or even just choosing what to listen to on the radio. The word maximize is defined as follows: 

"to increase to the greatest possible amount or degree"

For me, nearly everything I do I feel needs to be done to the greatest possible amount or to the best level I can possibly do it at. I've always been a maximizer, for as long as I can remember I always wanted to get the absolutely best products possible or to take advantage of every opportunity to the fullest extent. I've been aware of these qualities for quite some time, but never really considered that there was a label for these behaviors. While reading The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz, I stumbled upon the idea of a maximizer and knew immediately that that was me. I scored a 75 out of 91 on the maximizer test and fit nearly every quality of a maximizer. Among my maximizer type traits, I found these behaviors that exemplify my maximizing tendencies. 

• I take nearly every decision extremely seriously
• When I make a decision that turns out badly I regret it profusely
• Sometimes very simple decisions can be made extremely difficult by my indecisiveness
• I expect the most from myself in almost every situation
• Simple shopping trips can take hours simply because I can't make up my mind
• Sometimes decision options don't live up to my standards and I choose to simply not even participate

Although I am a maximizer I feel very fortunate to not demonstrate some of the negative behaviors common in maximizers. Many maximizers are very unhappy, in fact, in the study mentioned in The Paradox of Choice many maximizers with high maximization scores over 65 demonstrated signs of depression. Maximizers also carry a notorious amount of regret with them. In both cases, I feel very fortunate to not carry much regret and feel that I am instead a pretty happy person. 

Regardless of my status as a maximizer, I still aim to get the most out of my life. I try not to let a trait like this ruin my experiences and have instead decided to embrace it and use it to my advantage. In my everyday life, I want to excel to my highest possible extent, regardless of it that is in school, extracurricular activities, citizenship, or even something as menial as shopping for clothes. 

It's possible that this desire for excellence will be my key to future success.

For more information on Maximizers check out this guide from Psychology Today.