How Much Perfectionism Do You Really Need to Succeed?

A friend recently asked if it's true that becoming a virtuoso performer requires being a perfectionist. Well, spoiler alert, it's not a simple yes or no answer. And there are a lot of fascinating nuances to explore. One of which involves performance anxiety, and the question of whether perfectionism increases or decreases nerves. Get all the nerdy details and find out how much perfectionism might work best: How Much Perfectionism Do You Really Need to Succeed? References Racine, P., Laflamme, S. V., Gaudreau, P., & Langlois, F. (2025). Please don’t stop the music! A new look at the performance anxiety of musicians with the model of excellencism and perfectionism. Psychology of Music . ☃️ Holiday 2-for-1 Offer Get the Beyond Practicing course, with bonus account and two additional bonuses for you and a buddy (ends December 7, 2025): 👉 Get the 2-for-1 offer + bonuses More from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter , for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content. Pressure Proof : A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage. Learning Lab : A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice. Live and self-paced courses

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How Much Perfectionism Do You Really Need to Succeed? is an episode from The Bulletproof Musician by Noa Kageyama.

This episode is 8:16 long.

This episode was published on Dec 7, 2025.

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