“The pursuit of perfection often
impedes improvement.”_George Will
Most of my
writings are centered upon doing the work regularly enough to establish good
work ethic and empowering habits in our lives. They are based on striving to be the person we
are capable of being by living the best version of ourselves, everyday.
However,
today, my article will focus on how we can enjoy the heroic journey despite some
unavoidable slips that are going to happen every now and then.
In other
words, I mean sticking to the process of excellence is not exactly the same
with a dogged pursuit of perfection: a ruthless rejection of anything less than
perfect.
You see, there
is a huge difference between continuously striving to get better and a mindset of
all-or-nothing. The former is the centerpiece of all of my work; the latter is
not. Excellence is a wholesome thing but perfectionism is not. Perfectionism—in
its complete sense— is mirage that no human can attain.
Perfectionism
is not as good as it may seem to some people. In fact, it insidiously hinders
the progress of its hardcore seekers because it is a fertile ground for many destructive
emotions like constant self-doubt, anxiety, and even depression.
When we
strive for perfection, we brood over extreme versions of what could be instead
of being practical with the good that is attainable. Improvement is never about
making a perfect score but it is always about making a better score.
Certainly, self-discipline
is a requirement for progress in any area of our lives but if we want to maintain
our sanity along the way, we need to know how to deal with the inevitable low
moments of life. Excellent striving gives birth to more motivation while real perfectionism
is a sure of source of de-motivation and distress.
To avoid
this flaw in your heroic journey, learn to embrace your humanity, learn to celebrate
your successes and try to learn from your failures. But above all, know that perfectionism
is a mirage that no human can attain.
In a
nutshell, be disciplined but don’t be too hard on yourself.
