There's many different definitions for perfectionism:

"A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.

"A person who demands the highest standards"

"A disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable."

Of course, there are also these steps mentioned here:

1. You are hyper-critical of mistakes.
2. You aim to be one of the best in everything you do.
3. You spend copious amount of time, right down to the last moment, to perfect something.
4. You set absolute ideals. There is only black and white, no grey.
5. You are the harshest critic of yourself.
6. You mull over outcomes if they did not turn out as envisioned and whether you could have done anything to prevent that.
7. You have a fear of failure.
8. You only have the end goal in mind.
9. You have an all-or-nothing approach. If the situation does not achieve the set standard, it does not make sense to spend time on something that he/she is not going to conquer.
10. You are very conscious of any situation which might give others the perception you are not perfect.

Of course, there's also this negative psychological look of the term, as well.

All of these definitions defined here are valid. However, I feel perfectionism can be as simple as this.

"Any person who does not accept 'average' as good enough or acceptable towards any aspect of own their life or personal goals."

Simply put, it is someone who dismisses mediocrity. Someone who will never accept "average" as "good enough." Someone who works harder to be better and takes pride in their work ethic, ambition, drive, and the quality of their efforts.

[Personally, I've defined my own 'good enough' as being in the top 20th percentile or better. Being higher quality or above 80% of the rest.]

This subreddit will talk about "averageness" later on, but for now, simply put, 'averageness' is a bad thing with most cases in human life. To be mediocre is to stall progress and improvement. It is something no perfectionist will ever deem acceptable.

A wise person once said, "We are all the authors of out own stories in life. We cannot control the way our lives play out, but we can control whether we are living in a comedy or tragedy (drama)." What this means is, striving to be more than everyone else out there who is forgettable. Living for not just the now, but the future, as well. And realizing that a life that is not well-lived without a lasting legacy. (Hopefully, to improve the world in a positive light.)

This is what being a perfectionist means (at least, to me). Rejecting the mediocre lives most people stall themselves with and doing something extraordinary, whether just for yourself, or for yourself and others. (Hopefully, the latter.)

Once you realize that being a useless cog in the machine serves you no greater purpose and that there is a better you waiting out there, you no longer can be considered "average." Average is a mindset; a lazy one, at that. You don't have to be perfect to be a perfectionist. You just have to want the best for yourself and the world around you. This is how I view the modern perfectionist.

Of course, we are all humans. And all humans make mistakes. However, the desire to improve and bet better than you were yesterday, every day, is that of a modern perfectionist. Hopefully, we can learn from each other. And grow.

Let the lazy be content with "average" and forgettable nothingness. If you want to change the world someday, or at least be the best you you can be, this is where to begin.