Several years ago, I remember anxiously rambling my way through a job interview. Just as the end was in sight, the interviewer dropped that infamous question, “What is your greatest weakness?”

You're probably familiar with this scenario and how it works. Your answer is supposed to be a positive trait, ever so slightly disguised as a flaw. For many of us, perfectionism is the obvious answer.

My standards are just too high, you say. Sometimes I spend too much time on something because I want it to be the best it can possibly be.

If it sounds like I'm mocking perfectionists, I promise you I'm not. Perfectionist and proud right here. Well, most of the time.

WITH GREAT POWER...

In reality, perfectionism can be both amazing and terrible. It's probably both my greatest strength and weakness. I'm sure I'm not alone here. Many of us passionate and creative people struggle with the two sides of the perfectionism coin.

We all fall somewhere within that spectrum, which—for both simplicity and rhyming's sake—I'll say ranges from lazy to crazy. Figuring out where I naturally fell (which is way more toward the crazy end) helped me identify my own perfectionist tendencies, and separate my awesome habits from the destructive ones. Hopefully I can help you do the same.