AMERICANWAY

with that vehicle, but I was more upset because the situa- tion was out of my control. Being only 8, my tantrum was my artistic means of self-expression. I can see now that I was in the early stages of being, bluntly, a control frea k, a lthoug h I prefer the term perfectionist. Over the years, in a bustling world full of chaos and constant changes, I've somehow mastered the art of standing strong, thanks to my perfectionism. My methodical habits might be considered idiosyncratic, but they work for me. And I'm here to tell you that they can work for you too. Take it from me: 1. Let numbers rule your life. I'm not referring to your ability to solve calculus problems. If that were the case, I would have failed miserably at being a control freak because my own math skills are less than stellar. What I'm saying is, math is foolproof. Two plus two will always equal four, so there's no need to micromanage items that will never change. Instead, my perfectionism may be witnessed routinely at gas stations. When I fi ll the tank, I cannot — and will not — leave the pump unless my bill's amount ends in a W hen people reminisce about their c h i ld ho o d , t he mo s t pr om i nent memories are the joyous, exciting moments: lea r n ing how to r ide a bike without training wheels, getting a driver's license, successfully draping toilet paper in the trees of your ex-boy friend's house. You know — memorable events. Take the day I had a horrifi c meltdown and a biblical fl ood of a crying fi t, for instance. I'll preface the story by admitting I've never been good with change. That was evident one day when I was only 8 years old, curled up in a corner of a car dealership with my knees pulled into my chest, sobbing uncontrollably and sporting one of those contorted wailing faces that scared onlookers more than it concerned them. On a scale of 1 to 10, this tantrum weighed in at 11. If someone had told me there was no Santa Claus, this would have been an appropriate reaction. But the object of my fury was a sleek charcoal minivan that my parents were buying, complete with television screens and heated seats. I preferred our faithful, emerald-green Wagon Queen Family Truckster that had lovely velour seats and was shaped like a big boat. Looking back, I was obsessed ESSAY The Road to Perfection Think being a CONTROL FREAK is bad? Hardly. In fact, our obsessive correspondent offers valuable tips on how to become a perfectionist. By K athry n Cl a r k Illustr ation by A lison Seiffer 4 8 D EC E M B E R 2 01 4 A A .CO M/A M E R I C A NWAY

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