Has the need to be perfect ever slowed your progress or prevented you from finishing something?

What does it mean to be perfect anyway? Can we really define perfection? And is perfect better? (I don’t think it is.)

Let consider music for a second. Character and soul come not from perfection, but from imperfection. Perfect is actually unpleasant to the ear because it sounds mechanical.

Can you ever “think outside the box” if perfection is the goal? Does perfection not require you to stay in the box?

And if something is perfect today, what happens when you sharpen a skill or learn more about the topic? What you thought was “perfect” yesterday suddenly becomes “flawed”.

Voltaire famously said, “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.” This translates to “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” I understand this to mean we are willing to abandon something good because it’s not perfect, which is sad to think about. How many creative, brilliant ideas have been sidelined because those ideas weren’t “perfect?”

Perfection is a moving target. Our idea of perfection today is limited by our understanding and education, our skillset, and our life experience. So why do we let it bog us down and prevent us from putting ourselves or our creations “out there?”

It is because the pursuit of perfect isn’t a goal, it’s a fear of judgment.

In our minds, judgment equals failure. And we fear failure so much that we won’t settle for anything but our idea of perfection.

“If you ain’t first you’re last” (thanks Ricky Bobby lol)

This is called a fixed mindset. The idea that if you’re not going to “ace the test”, it’s not worth attempting. And that’s the problem with a fixed mindset, it doesn’t allow for the concept of learning new things, of becoming something more. And if you can’t become something more, that means you only have the talent or skill you have right now, that’s why you face this unrelenting internal pressure to get it “perfect”. Anything less, and you’ll be “found out” (imposter syndrome).

But like I said above, perfect is not absolute. It is a moving target. So forget about perfect and aim for good enough.

Foster a growth mindset by understanding failure is the only path to growth. When you start a phrase with “I can’t,” finish it with the word “yet.” Allow yourself to fail so you can grow.

I promise, your good is good enough. Now let’s get out there!

#LetsGrowTogether #CreateSomethingGreat

Photo from twitter user @MovieWisdom