Are you a perfectionist? Do you fear getting it wrong because you did not account for everything? Are you scared of being wrong or looking bad? Welcome to the club! Just remember:
“Perfection is not a worthy goal; it’s a worthy opponent.”
Several years ago, I used this statement in a presentation; my daughter once quoted it on a social media post. Frequently we hear:
“Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good.”
“Don’t let perfection get in the way of finishing.”
I don’t feel these comments express the true battle being fought.
The desire to get things right should be your goal in any endeavor. Understand that “correctness” and “accuracy” differ from “perfection.” One should always strive to be as correct and accurate as possible. Perfection becomes an opponent when you feel you must analyze everything to the final inch and freeze if you can’t account for every possibility; perhaps the opponent (perfection) is beginning to win.
A corollary to this line of thinking is:
“Handle the main thing as the main thing and the exceptions as exceptions and realize there will always be exceptions.”
You can account for the main things and then handle the exceptions as they arise as the last section in your series of if-statements or decision trees. Through this process of handling the exceptions as exceptions, you will naturally improve. If you build a process or product and encounter exceptions recurring frequently, then you can add them to a main thing; otherwise, “no” – they remain exceptions. Continuous improvement should not be feared, nor should it be considered seeking perfection.
Until next time.