I was taught as a child that anything short of perfection was unacceptable. That puts one in the position that no matter what they do or how well they do it, they've failed. I knew my mother would find some imperfection. It took me a long time to rebel against that attitude. I was one of the fortunate ones able to decide to go my own route. At 19, I graduated from college and instead of going the route that had been planned into law school I took a regular job working for a large manufacturer. It turned into my career.
I thought I'd broken free of that need for perfection but never really got away from the past until I met my wife. She taught me how to live. Before her I was very successful, rising star type, great job and not a happy person.