--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a time where I was such a…" description: "\"There was a time where I was such a perfectionist even if I made the kick, but that's no way to live. I can tell you what, that will drive you crazy. I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/stephen-gostkowski-6552_crazy_there-was-a-time-where-i-was-such-a-perf_2518115.jpg" --- # There was a time where I was such a perfectionist even if… ![“There was a time where I was such a perfectionist even if I made the kick, but that's no way to live. I can tell you what, that will drive you crazy. I'm very hard on myself, but if the ball goes in a little bit left of the middle, you're not going to hear me crying about it.” quote by Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/stephen-gostkowski-6552_crazy_there-was-a-time-where-i-was-such-a-perf_2518115.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/stephen-gostkowski-6552_crazy_there-was-a-time-where-i-was-such-a-perf_2518115.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/stephen-gostkowski-6552_crazy_there-was-a-time-where-i-was-such-a-perf_2518115.jpg) > “There was a time where I was such a perfectionist even if I made the kick, but that's no way to live. I can tell you what, that will drive you crazy. I'm very hard on myself, but if the ball goes in a little bit left of the middle, you're not going to hear me crying about it.” [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Perfectionism can cause excessive self‑criticism; accepting minor imperfections prevents unnecessary stress and maintains performance. **In simple terms:** Perfectionism leads to harsh self‑criticism. Key Takeaway Accept small flaws to stay focused. Themes performance perfectionism self‑criticism mental health Mood determined reflective Type advice motivational When to use this quote - athletic training - public speaking - creative work Key Concepts psychology sports science Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide when a mistake is acceptable? - What strategies help you stay compassionate with yourself? A Different Perspective Over‑focus on perfection may hinder progress and cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-ball-1222800/) [Kick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kick/) [Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [Perfectionist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectionist/) [Perfectionist Kick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectionist-kick-1222798/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Perfectionist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-perfectionist-1222799/) ## Related quotes > [Every time, all the time, I'm a perfectionist. I feel I should never lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-evert/every-time-all-the-time-i-m-a-perfectionist-i-feel-i-should-never-lose/) [Chris Evert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-evert/) > [When you write, produce, engineer and mix everything yourself, it tends to take a long time to do anything. And when you're a perfectionist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-young/when-you-write-produce-engineer-and-mix-everything-yourself-it-tends/) [Adam Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-young/) > [Opening the batting in Test cricket, facing up to fast bowlers looking to do their worst with a new, hard ball is incredibly tough.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-agnew/opening-the-batting-in-test-cricket-facing-up-to-fast-bowlers-looking/) [Jonathan Agnew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-agnew/) > [Work for the team, work hard and when the ball falls to you you have to put it in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelechi-iheanacho/work-for-the-team-work-hard-and-when-the-ball-falls-to-you-you-have/) [Kelechi Iheanacho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelechi-iheanacho/) > [After 2019, one thing that really stood out to me was, early on, not going too hard at the ball and allowing myself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stokes/after-2019-one-thing-that-really-stood-out-to-me-was-early-on-not/) [Ben Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stokes/) > [I think I throw the ball as hard as anyone. The ball just doesn't get there as fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-bane/i-think-i-throw-the-ball-as-hard-as-anyone-the-ball-just-doesn-t-get/) [Eddie Bane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-bane/) > [The most important thing to me is how hard we go after the ball and take care of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quinn/the-most-important-thing-to-me-is-how-hard-we-go-after-the-ball-and/) [Dan Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quinn/) > [It's hard when you get the ball in an iso situation and you have a set defense in front of you. Very few players…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-barnes/it-s-hard-when-you-get-the-ball-in-an-iso-situation-and-you-have-a/) [Harrison Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-barnes/) > [You're only as good as your last kick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/you-re-only-as-good-as-your-last-kick/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [There's multitudes of factors of why a kick can go in or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/there-s-multitudes-of-factors-of-why-a-kick-can-go-in-or-not/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [I've always been able to move on and contain. I get mad, I get frustrated. No one gets more upset when they miss a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/i-ve-always-been-able-to-move-on-and-contain-i-get-mad-i-get/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [Many people think of me as a perfectionist, someone who polishes and shines each song and performance. I've always been bothered by that assumption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-collins/many-people-think-of-me-as-a-perfectionist-someone-who-polishes-and/) [Phil Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-collins/) > [Not to be such a perfectionist, it makes life hard. I'd like to be more relaxed about everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-small/not-to-be-such-a-perfectionist-it-makes-life-hard-i-d-like-to-be-more/) [Heather Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-small/) > [Golf is not, on the whole, a game for realists. By its exactitudes of measurements it invites the attention of perfectionists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heywood-hale-broun/golf-is-not-on-the-whole-a-game-for-realists-by-its-exactitudes-of/) [Heywood Hale Broun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heywood-hale-broun/) > [“I’ve been the queen of symmetry and everything had to be in identical balance, no matter how you looked at it. But I’ve realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taryn-leigh/i-ve-been-the-queen-of-symmetry-and-everything-had-to-be-in-identical/) [Taryn Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taryn-leigh/) ## More by Stephen Gostkowski > [The thing about kicking is, it's not as competitive as other positions, but I feel like I am a competitor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/the-thing-about-kicking-is-it-s-not-as-competitive-as-other-positions/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [I don't do social media. I'm not looking to get a death threat every time I miss a field goal. I'm just not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/i-don-t-do-social-media-i-m-not-looking-to-get-a-death-threat-every/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [Just to keep my mind sharp. When you have like one job, you want to think about it enough to do well, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/just-to-keep-my-mind-sharp-when-you-have-like-one-job-you-want-to/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [I prefer New York style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/i-prefer-new-york-style-pizza/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [The way the field feels like before the game isn't like what the field is during the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/the-way-the-field-feels-like-before-the-game-isn-t-like-what-the/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [You lose weeks of sleep over a bad game, and a bad game could be one missed kick. So the ones you make, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/you-lose-weeks-of-sleep-over-a-bad-game-and-a-bad-game-could-be-one/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [Once you get a couple good plays, you get confidence and it carries over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/once-you-get-a-couple-good-plays-you-get-confidence-and-it-carries/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [Soccer was probably the most fun game I've played because I never walked away feeling like I had a bad game. If you play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/soccer-was-probably-the-most-fun-game-i-ve-played-because-i-never/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [A lot of times guys have the tendency to try to kick it too hard or over-kick it. Just like a golf swing, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/a-lot-of-times-guys-have-the-tendency-to-try-to-kick-it-too-hard-or/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [There's no time in the NFL, especially as a specialist, to pat yourself on the back. It's a week-to-week, game-to-game, kick-to-kick kind of job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/there-s-no-time-in-the-nfl-especially-as-a-specialist-to-pat-yourself/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [Pitching, if you have a bad start, a lot of the blame is put on you and then you have to sit around and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/pitching-if-you-have-a-bad-start-a-lot-of-the-blame-is-put-on-you-and/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [You're only as good as your opportunities in this game and you're lucky to get some opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/you-re-only-as-good-as-your-opportunities-in-this-game-and-you-re/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [I had a problem of not eating well when I was young. My parents always used to try to stress on me about eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/i-had-a-problem-of-not-eating-well-when-i-was-young-my-parents-always/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [I try to take the mental aspects of every sport that I've ever played and use it toward kicking, how to react in certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/i-try-to-take-the-mental-aspects-of-every-sport-that-i-ve-ever-played/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [Kicking's kicking. Pressure's pressure. You beat other guys just to get drafted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/kicking-s-kicking-pressure-s-pressure-you-beat-other-guys-just-to-get/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) [Explore all 98 Stephen Gostkowski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) ## More Crazy quotes > [Im wild Im crazy, I'm wild, Im crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dot-dot-curve/im-wild-im-crazy-i-m-wild-im-crazy/) [Dot Dot Curve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dot-dot-curve/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. 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It's because I'm crazy about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-m-always-writing-i-m-an-obsessive-it-s-not-because-i-m-a/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) [Browse all 9,039 Crazy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was a time where I was such a perfectionist even if I made the kick, but that's no way to live. I can tell you what, that will drive you crazy. 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