DR. WALLACE: I'm a perfectionist who has always had a very black-and-white outlook on life, and so it's hard for me most of the time to find compromise. Right now, for the first time in my academic career, I'm doing really poorly in one class that I'm taking and I don't know how to rationally proceed.

I've been so distressed about my poor performance in this one class that I'm almost tempted to drop all of my classes this semester. I know that doing that would make no sense as I'm doing fine in my other classes, but I can't stop beating myself up about the one class that I'm struggling in, and it's making me feel terrible about myself.

How can I move beyond this perfectionistic mindset so that I don't burn all my accomplishments to the ground over this current challenge? — Perfection Is My Default Mindset, via email

PERFECTION IS MY DEFAULT MINDSET: The famous 18th century French writer Voltaire is often credited with coining the phrase, "The perfect is the enemy of the good." Here in the fast-paced 21st century, I'd add to his thought with this slight modification: "The perfect is the enemy of the successfully completed accomplishment."

Now more than ever we have time constraints and multitasking challenges everywhere we look. There's no shame in achieving at a high level that falls slightly short of perfection. Your letter mentioned that you are performing poorly in one class for the very first time in your academic career! Many other students would swoon to be able to make a comment like that and have it be factual.

I suggest that you of course continue with all your classes and don't even allow your mind to wander into thinking about dropping all classes this semester. Instead, seek out this particular teacher or professor and explain that you have been finding the course material more difficult than usual, and then seek out suggestions on how you can best study for this class for the remainder of its duration. Teachers and professors take requests like this seriously, and you'll likely get excellent suggestions and perhaps even a bit of light tutoring that may indeed help your performance.

Finally, think about your overall academic career and how successful you've been to date. Give yourself credit for this, and instead of wallowing in frustration over this one class, challenge yourself to complete it to the best of your current ability no matter what grade you ultimately achieve. If you do this, I trust you'll feel satisfaction in the end. This experience will also help you during your upcoming career, as no professional in any industry ultimately achieves a perfect record over the decades. Doing your best and applying yourself as efficiently as possible on a consistent basis over myriad challenges trumps only completing tasks you can readily accomplish routinely at a high level.

I DON'T FEEL LIKE A DRUG USER

DR. WALLACE: I smoked a few cigarettes on a dare by a boy from our rival high school. He laughed when I choked and coughed at first, so I kept going until I could smoke smoothly in front of him. He eventually told me he was impressed, but then within two months he and his family moved out of state over the holidays.

Now he's gone but I'm stuck with this nasty, nasty habit! I'm only 17 but I smoke at least 17 cigarettes a day! It's an expensive habit for a teenager but I manage to find the funds to keep my habit going.

A good friend of mine told me, "You're hooked on drugs!" in reference to my smoking habit. I don't do any drugs at all, but unfortunately I do smoke. Why would my friend call me "hooked on drugs"? — A Smokestack at 17, via email

A SMOKESTACK AT 17: Your friend likely made that comment because the active ingredient in cigarettes and tobacco is nicotine, which technically is an addictive drug. However, nicotine is usually not included when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) present statistics on teenage drug use.

You do now indeed have a nasty habit, and it would serve you and your health well to seek to end this habit as quickly as possible. It's unfortunate that you accepted a peer-pressure dare, which led to your current addiction.

I suggest you now ask around until you can find a friend or acquaintance who has been successful at being able to quit a tough smoking habit. Stick with this idea until you find the right person, and ask this person to mentor and monitor you as you strive to quit your nasty habit. Think of this as an inverse form of peer pressure, one that you can actually benefit from. Do what you did the first time: Keep on going toward your goal even though it will be hard at first. Use this person to help you along the way. When you finally kick the habit, vow to similarly be there for others who may need your help and guidance in the future.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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