"I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, i can reach for; perfection is God's business." ~Michael J. FoxMany times, heck most of the things I do, I try to make to perfection. The only issue is it takes a lot more energy to do make things perfect. You end the day tired and not wanting to do anything but go to bed and sleep until your alarm goes off the next morning. Even if what you where working on isn't perfect, you still don't have the energy to do anything because you are worrying about why it wasn't perfect.
I am not saying that you shouldn't strive for perfection in any way shape or form. But maybe, just maybe, you can save some energy, excitement and thrill of life if you strive for excellence. Just a thought. Anyway isn't perfection overrated? How many people can do you know that are perfect in what they do? If you know anyone, they themselves probably don't believe they are perfect. Why? Because you are your own worst critic.
Some of the greatest monuments are not perfect. One example is the leaning tower of Piza. All of the time spent to make it great makes it lean more and more each year. Even if someone were to straighten it, it would no longer hold the magnificence that it does. What about Neil Armstrong? The first man to walk on the moon. He prepared for what to say when he stepped on the moon, and he messed up. Yet it is remembered by so many people.
Perfection is overrated! Strive for excellence and in the mean time, be yourself!
Rock on,
Lane J
2 Comments:
Lane, Excellent perspectives.
Perfection is often a tendency to be excessively self-critical and demanding of ourselves. Our struggle for perfection habitually turns into an endless quest for making 'better' a 'little better.' Any state of perfection ceases to exist when we question the perfection--when we ask how perfect the perfection is.
The solution to perfection is a need to accept the prospect of compromises to our goals and aspirations. When we develop a 'good enough' or 'perfect enough' mindset, we realize that imperfection is, after all, a negotiable outcome.
BTW, thank you for including the note on Neil Armstrong. I did not know about his 'mistake.' This makes an interesting story I could relate during my leadership seminar and coaching sessions.
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